Over My Shoulder
by VakaPyro
Summary: He fell, deep into the dark. Drumbeats echo. He moves forward, determined to save them. All the while, footsteps follow. A hand on his shoulder keeps him steady, he is never alone. [A 'retelling' story incorporating the 'narrator' theory].
1. Descent

Over My Shoulder

Chapter One- Descent

He was falling.

Falling into the endless dark.

And yet.

 _A drumbeat, deep beneath the ground. A sound that all will hear._

And it was no longer dark.

He fell, and then fell no more.

-X-

The scent of buttercups pervaded deep within his nostrils. Frisk (for that was the boy's name) was unwilling to rise from such a soft, comfortable bed, but opened his eyes anyway. A sea of colour. Yellow as bright as the sun in such a dark room, or was it a cave? He peered further past the veil; what appeared to be stalactites and stalagmites protruded from the walls, large fungi intermittently spread amongst them.

It was then he had the gumption to realise that he was neither in a bedroom, nor a building made by man at all. He let out a gasp as he noticed too, that the comfortable yet fragrant bed he lay upon was not of duvets or pillows, but of beautiful golden flowers.

"Where am I? Am I in heaven?" he spoke aloud to the chamber. If this was heaven, it wasn't as bright as he had been expecting. Nor were there fluffy white clouds to carry him to paradise.

He inclined his head upward to the ceiling to notice that there was none to see, just an endless dark abyss. He levelled his gaze, finally settling upon an ornately decorated threshold not twenty paces in front of him. _'Well, if this isn't heaven, I need to find out just where I've gone'_ , he thought to himself.

He arose, and his legs carried him to the doorway. The sides of the doorway were striated in what he supposed was a decorative manner, but what drew his attention was the crest atop it. A circle with what appeared to be wings, below which were three alternately-oriented triangles.

"I wonder what they mean" Frisk asked himself. He paid it no more attention however, storing it for later, and moved through the passageway into an even darker chamber than the one he had just left.

 _'Okay, this_ _ **definitely**_ _doesn't seem like heaven'_. Frisk slowly paced into the ominous room. There was another doorway ahead similar to the one he had just walked through, noticing a soft-orange glow emanating through it. What set him on edge about this particular chamber however, was that despite the brightly lit clearing at the centre, he couldn't see any walls, as if the room continued endlessly in either direction.

Light footsteps. The first sound not of his own-making since he awoke. Warily, Frisk swung around in the direction of the noise, but did not find anything.

"H-Hello?" he spoke with a shaky tone, on-edge. Surely if there was footsteps, then someone else had to be down here with him.

The footsteps did not continue however, and after asking the unreceptive darkness once again if anyone was there, cautiously dismissed it as the echo of his own footsteps. He then returned his sight to the clearing- there was something there he hadn't noticed before.

Unlike the previous room, where a beautiful golden-flowerbed broke his fall, here was a solitary golden flower sat in the middle of the light, faced toward him. Frisk thought it rather eerie; why was there only the one flower here?

Why did it… _'Is it_ _ **watching**_ _me?'_ He dismissed such a ridiculous thought shortly after, big kids don't believe in such things. They don't believe in monsters. He finally continued toward the light, his destination the doorway across the chamber.

"Howdy!" His natural nervous demeanour, compounded with his anxiety about his current circumstances, meant that Frisk was unable to contain the scream of fright that surely escaped from his mouth at that moment. It rang out through the chamber, which was followed by a series of shrill giggles.

Frisk, having jumped and fallen over onto his backside from the sudden voice, quickly returned to his feet having found the source of the voice. The solitary flower at the centre of the room. It had a face.

It was still giggling as Frisk took it in; aside from that it was for a flower, quite normal, it had a little smile and beady black eyes. After a moment of regaining its composure, it looked toward Frisk again, with a smile.

"My name is Flowey. Flowey the Flower! What's your name?" He spoke with a high-pitched, childish voice.

Frisk, quite-shocked at observing a talking flower, responded with a gormless, wide-eyed expression. Flowey's smile, if anything, became more pronounced as he peered at Frisk.

"Well, I can tell you're a human kid, what with that little striped-shirt and shorts, your hair…" Flowey's voice trailed off here, peering at Frisk with a sudden intensity that made his skin crawl.

In an effort to stave-off his building unease, Frisk finally responded "M-my name's Frisk. Nice to m-meet you".

After a second more in his trance, Flowey began to smile cheekily again, as if the past moment didn't happen. "Frisk huh? That's a nice name." He tilted his 'head', golden-petals flopping from side-to-side.

"You're not from the underground are you Frisk?" Frisk shook his head, emboldening himself, standing up straight _._

 _'Underground? So I fell into a cave underground? How do I get back up? Do I even want to?_ ' He shook himself out of these thoughts, they could be concerned with later, when he wasn't speaking to flowers.

"Well, things work a little differently down here Frisk. This place is a whole different world compared to the one you came from. I guess little old me can teach you a couple of things!" At this, Flowey stuck his tongue out, winking.

"What do you mean, things work differently? How?" Frisk chattered rapidly.

Flowey then leered at him, as much as a flower could anyway. _'Did the room just get darker?'_ thought Frisk.

"Y-you're not going to hurt me, are you?" Frisk continued apprehensively.

"No, no, no! I'm just going to help you out! You see, down here, we monsters-"

"Monsters?!" Flowey's discourse was interrupted by a startled exclamation from Frisk. Flowey frowned slightly, but remained smiling, and continued- "Yes, monsters. We're just as much people as the humans above are".

Frisk, having heard stories of man-eating, spooky 'monsters' was nonplussed. He quickly put two-and-two together the only way a child could; if this flower was a monster, and it wasn't eating him, then monsters couldn't be all bad.

"Are all monsters flowers like you?" Frisk asked inquisitively, feeling his courage return to him. Flowey responded with an expression that appeared to be on the edge of laughter, but spoke instead with a light tone "You'll see!"

Footsteps. Frisk looked around again to try and find them, feeling a lot less nervous now he had company, not that he supposed a flower could do much to help him.

"Did you hear that?" he asked Flowey.

"Hear what?" the flower responded in the same light tone, then continued regardless of what Frisk had just said. "Down here, we monsters communicate by voice obviously, or by…"

Flowey's 'lips' pursed, as if he was about to start laughing. Feeding off the pause, Frisk pried "Or by…?"

"…Friendliness pellets!" The flower was beginning to look happier by the second. Frisk, a niggling, unexplainable suspicion building in the back of his mind, pressed, "…Friendliness pellets? What are those? How do you speak with pellets?"

Flowey responded by seemingly producing out of thin air what appeared to be a rapidly spinning white pebble. "Here, I'll show you. Now, hold still and accept it" Flowey continued smiling as he began producing more of them, gazing at Frisk all the time.

"*It's a lie, don't let them touch you."

"Who…" Frisk, more bewildered by the second, had not much time to look for the source of this voice before Flowey sent the 'friendliness pellets' whizzing toward him. He decided to take the voice's advice, and ducked beneath them.

"Hey Frisk, you're _meant_ to get hit by them. Stand still so I can give you my friendship!" Flowey's voice had an edge to it now, despite his expression seemingly unchanged.

"N-no! Not until you tell me what they'll do to me!" Frisk steadfastly rebutted.

"Just let them touch you, trust me Frisk!" He dodged them as they flew toward him again, faster this time.

"*You're doing fine Frisk, just stay away from them".

This time Frisk heard the voice coming from ahead of him, behind Flowey, but could still not find its source.

"What are you doing kid? Do you think this is some sort of joke?" Flowey's face was anything but a smile now, he looked irritated, a smouldering anger in his beady-black eyes. Now Frisk was frightened again.

"Run into my bullets!" Flowey, sent another volley of pellets toward Frisk, who now had a harder time of dodging the attack.

"B-bullets? You said they were friendliness pellets!"

"Well they were until you started playing around!" Flowey half-drawled with a now identifiably _unfriendly_ voice.

"*Frisk!"

This time, he looked up to finally spot the bearer of the voice. A girl of his height, wearing a green-yellow striped shirt (unlike his own blue-purple one), and with similar but slightly longer brown hair stood behind Flowey, half in the light and half in the darkness, its shadows like vines around her. She rose a finger to her lips, peering at him. Frisk nodded slightly, happy to have found another human down here.

"*Don't look at me, pay attention to Flowey. After his next attack, you should run for the next room".

It was as good an idea as any, and Flowey, now rather angry and out of quips, did not wait to send an even faster volley of pellets toward him. This time, Frisk tripped and fell over. He quickly looked up to try and see the girl, but she was not there. Putting the thought out his mind for now, he scrambled to get up and run for the exit.

"*RUN!" He heard the girl again, and not looking behind him, ran as fast as his short legs could carry him toward the dimly-lit doorway. This journey was cut short however by the sudden appearance of a spinning ring of 'friendliness pellets' which snapped into existence around him. With nowhere to move to without getting hit by them, Frisk whirled around wide-eyed to spot Flowey once again.

This time, Flowey was anything but a nice golden-flower. He looked like something out of a nightmare, which Frisk was beginning to suspect this entire situation was. Flowey's face had stretched beyond the bounds of the petals surrounding his head, his mouth arrayed with large menacing fangs. His eyes, no longer just black, appeared slit like a snake.

"I guess you DO know how things work down here then don't you? Or you just want me to suffer, DON'T YOU?" Flowey spoke with a thunderous and menacingly deep voice with no place on such a small figure.

Frisk began to panic with the next intonation- "Die". The pellets started to close in on him, and he fell to the ground whimpering, even as Flowey began to laugh in the same deep-pitched manner.

 _'I'm going to die! I don't want to die!'_ Frisk wailed to himself. It was just one thing after another for him wasn't it? Always unhappy, moving onto the next place just to get somewhere warm and comfortable. Now a flower of all-things was going to be his murderer.

And yet.

"*Frisk, it's going to be okay. Open your eyes and look up". That girl. She had a nice, dry, tinkly voice.

After a few more moments of shaking, he noticed that Flowey's mirth had stopped. He decided to listen to the girl despite his gut-wishes, to see Flowey, now with a surprised expression looking over him toward the doorway.

Frisk looked up to the girl kneeling beside him. She had rosy cheeks, and eyes so brown they looked almost… red. He spent a moment peering at her stoic face, before noticing that pellets were gone. Then, all of a sudden, a flash of light and heat soared over Frisk and the girl toward Flowey. Frisk did not see it hit him, but heard a shrill scream, and whipped his head toward the doorway where the source of the attack.

"Oh, what a terrible creature". The measured, feminine voice came from the strangest figure he had ever seen. _'After Flowey, of course'_. Frisk shook the stray thought out of his mind. If things kept going the way they were he was sure strange would become normal!

"*Close your mouth, unless you want bugs to get in there" drawled the girl. She was no longer at his side, and he looked around for her shortly to no avail, before the figure approached him.

"Are you alright my child? That creature did not hurt you, did it?" The sheer concern resonating from the figure put Frisk at an ease he had not found until now in his short stay within the Underground.

 _'Is she a…woman? Goat? She looks like a goat… or a dragon. But she's a monster... person, and seems nice enough…'_

"Are you alright my child?" She repeated. "Do not be afraid of me. I am Toriel, the caretaker of the ruins beyond this door. I rushed here when I heard you cry out."

Toriel had such a look of concern on her face, and emanated such a trustworthiness that Frisk could not help himself. He grabbed onto her, and buried his face into the robes she was wearing, feeling tears welling up in his eyes. He had been through a lot in such a short time-span.

"Ah… There-there my child. Can you tell me your name?" she gently inquired. The only response she got was a muffled whimper.

"What was that? I can't quite hear it…"

"I am Frisk" he spoke out heavily.

"Hello Frisk, everything is going to be alright. It's been a long time since a human fell down here…" She trailed off with this statement, staring into the darkness.

Frisk looked up to see her lightly furred face. Accurate to his initial assessment, Toriel appeared to be some strange-cross between a human, a dragon and a goat. She had sharp horns and fangs, and yet had the kindest eyes he had ever seen.

 _'So what if they're red? That nice girl had reddish eyes too. Where is she?'_

Frisk, broke his gaze away from Toriel to look for the girl that had helped him. She was nowhere to be found, and it seemed Toriel hadn't spotted her either. Had it all been his imagination?

He was interrupted from his train-of-thought by Toriel's voice. "I won't ask how or why you got down here Frisk. The Underground is a dangerous place though, follow me and I'll bring you to my home, get a nice warm fire going and some food. Sound good?"

She had such a sincere tone, and possessed such a trusting expression that Frisk, as hopeless as he had been, could not resist.

He grabbed onto her clawed hand as she rose, and led him toward the long-fought for goal- the dimly lit doorway. He paid no further mind to the fate of Flowey, but as they moved toward the threshold, he looked over his shoulder in hope once-more of finding the girl who had helped him.

He thought he saw her at the other side of the room, with a small smile adorning her rosy face. But with a blink, she was gone, and before long he could not see the painful room any more.

He returned his gaze forward to the destination. With Toriel's hand in his, and the hope of seeing the girl again, a good feeling arose in his small chest, pushing him onward.

-X-

EDIT (25/11/15): Upon 'Allen Vth's suggestion, I have broken the dialogue throughout this chapter a little bit. I agree, it did read a little poorly. I have also corrected a few errors here and there. Again, thank you for the criticism!

A/N- So. After roughly 7 years of reading fanfiction on this site, an idea came into my head that I just couldn't ignore. So, I typed it up, and will continue to do so every now and then. The next chapter should be soon, but future updates will be intermittent- I'm meant to be studying for a Master's course!

Anyway, let me know what you think. Personally, it was embarrassing to publish this, as I think I'm a little long-winded, but I would love for constructive criticism t point out errors in my writing that I don't fathom.

...If you want to know the premise for this idea, think about just how the game is narrated. This is just my 'head-canon' as it were, and I thought I'd share it with you if you so wish to read it.

Peace.


	2. Dereliction

Over My Shoulder

Chapter two – Dereliction

-X-

Frisk regarded the scene before him. Forgotten was the otherworldly abyss of the previous chamber. Here, built with red brick, black mortar and no small amount of a creative imagination, were the ruins Toriel had talked about.

It filled his entire field of vision, imposing and mysterious. It was similar in appearance to the dilapidated castles and towers Frisk had seen on the surface… Only this was underground. Any menace the exterior to this place might have had for him was skewed, by almost _artfully_ deposited red-leaf piles dotted before the entrance to the stronghold.

Above him, the wider ceiling extended beyond his vision. However, instead of an infinite, dark-abyss seen previously, there were thousands-upon-thousands of twinkling _orange_ pinpricks of light. They were so many and the light bright enough he figured to illuminate the surroundings.

"Ah, it's through here Frisk" Toriel uttered kindly. She pulled his hand closer, and they continued forward as Frisk looked around, in curiosity.

"You know, I walk through here every day. In case someone like yourself falls down into the Underground". She looked ahead as she spoke, Frisk could not see her expression, but it sounded… regretful.

"Who was…? Am I the only human down here?" Frisk inquired. Thinking back on the girl, the more he thought about it and how she was sometimes there and _not there_ , he was beginning to think he had imagined it all.

Toriel turned to him, one very furry eyebrow slightly raised. "You are the first human to fall into the ruins for many years Frisk." Her tone then became more reassuring- "Keep close now my child, we must go through the ruins, where many monsters wander".

"M-more monsters?" Frisk gulped. He gripped Toriel's hand tighter, and attempted to steel himself. If Toriel is this nice, then he could do this.

This interplay of emotions passing over Frisk's face brought an awkward smile to Toriel's face. "Yes Frisk, this is our home. Stay strong! No one will hurt you here, especially not when I'm here!" She closed her eyes and patted his head.

Frisk mustered as determined a smile as he could for her, and she chuckled. They continued onward.

-X-

"Welcome to your new home!" Toriel announced, with muted gusto. She let go of Frisk's hand as they entered the ruins.

Missing the hand already, Frisk followed close behind her. The entrance room looked not-unlike that of dilapidated buildings in the town he had come from; small, slightly damp and with bricked walls. It was well-lit, but that was because the ceiling had enough holes in it to make a Swiss-cheese proud; the soft-orange light from outside filtered in well. There were signs along the wall in a dialect he had no hope of understanding, he could not even read in his own language.

He ignored them. Toriel had moved onto a square of strange-grey flagstones imbedded into the red-brown floor at the opposite side of the room. She was treading heavily on a series of them, making a clear effort not to stand on others.

"Stay there Frisk. Throughout these catacombs, the doorways are unlocked by disarming and solving trap-contraptions" Toriel explained. At Frisk's puzzled look, she elaborated patiently- "We need to solve puzzles to open doors to the rooms we'll be travelling through".

This Frisk understood, making a small sound of "Ah". He watched as she continued to depress a series of other stones, and could make out the pattern that he assumed to be the solution to this puzzle.

All of a sudden, the previously locked door ahead of them, adorned with the crest Frisk had seen earlier above the arches of the doorways, began to open with a low grating noise. It rumbled as the two parts swivelled inward.

Frisk began to grasp how this all worked, and feeling adventurous, made for the doorway.

"Wait, Frisk!" Toriel exclaimed from behind him.

"Stay here for a minute, I'll check out the room first, to make sure it is safe for us to go in!" She rushed out. Toriel then ruffled his hair, and moved into the room out of sight.

At this, Frisk moved back into the centre of the room, and waited. ' _This doesn't seem so bad'_ he mused.

The writing on the walls caught his attention once again, and he moved toward them, attempting to grasp any meaning out of them. As much as he peered at them, tilting his head one way or another, it was hopeless. Giving up, he turned around.

And jumped.

"*Only the fearless may proceed. Brave ones, foolish ones. Both walk not the middle road". The girl from before recited these lines as she squinted at the sign behind Frisk. She then turned her gaze to him, he with his face aghast.

"*What? That's what the writing says. Can't you read?" She stated rather cheekily. Folding her arms she continued after a minute of the staring-contest between them "*I guess not. Looks like I'll have to read them out for you"

"You're not- when did you- Are you a-" Frisk stammered. She interrupted him by holding up her hand.

"*A ghost? I don't know. They can't seem to see me, but you can. Here, try shaking my hand". At this she approached him with her right arm outstretched. It took all the fortitude Frisk had not to back away in terror. Instead, with his own quivering right hand, he slowly attempted to grasp hers.

It passed right through her hand.

"*Huh. I guess I am. Then why did…? Did we…?" The girl stood there, hand to her mouth in a thoughtful stance. Frisk, on the other hand, was rooted to the spot through a combination of puzzlement and fear.

He gathered his courage after a moment, and stammered out a question- "Who a-are you? Are you a human?"

The girl snapped out of her daze, shaking her head, then responded- "*Human? Yes. Or I was. My name's Chara. I live, or lived down here in the underground with the monsters. I know your name already Frisk." She smiled, and then stared at him, with an unreadable look on her face.

Despite her slightly intense demeanour, Frisk was put at ease knowing he was now in the presence of another human, ghostly as her company was. Accurate to his previous observations, Chara was of his height and build, a pretty, rosy-cheeked face and had chin-length dark-brown hair not dissimilar to his own… except for the part where hers was tidy and his was scruffy.

Her choice of clothing was also eerily similar, matching striped-sweater and denim pants, except hers were a mixture of green, yellow and brown whilst his were blue and purple. Much less imaginative, not that he had a choice.

Frisk opened his mouth to start asking the plethora of questions he had: _'Where are we?' 'What are the monsters?' 'How do I get back to the surface?'_ Before he could say anything however, the upbeat voice of Toriel began emanating from the doorway. He quickly fixed his gaze on Chara, attempting to make sure she did not disappear on him again.

"*I'm not going anywhere this time, I think I know how this works. Just… don't tell Mo-…Toriel I'm here okay?" Chara whispered with urgency. At this, Frisk dumbly nodded, not quite knowing how else to respond. "*…Here goes nothing."

Toriel rushed back into the room. "Frisk! The room's safe now! You can come in" Toriel exclaimed happily. She had a pleased expression on her face, and Frisk wondered what it was for. She held her hand out for him to grasp, which he promptly did so, and began to lead him into the next room.

He quickly glanced between Toriel and Chara. The girl, who had not disappeared and was regarding Toriel with an unreadable expression, followed at a slow pace.

-X-

The next room was much larger and noisier. There were vines with the rust-coloured leaved hanging along the walls, and as before the ceiling was pockmarked with holes, allowing the soft orange light to permeate throughout.

As they passed through, Frisk glanced at another etched plaque on the wall. "*Stay on the path!" he heard Chara chirp up. He looked back toward her with an exasperated smile. Chara merely responded with a smile of her own and pointed forward.

He nearly crashed headfirst into Toriel as he turned around. She had stopped walking, and was looking in front of them, ignorant of the exchange that had just taken place behind her.

There was a small water-channel in front of them, with flowing water that glistened in the muted light. A bridge, red-brick like the walls around them crossed over it, allowing passage.

This was not what Toriel was regarding though. She drew Frisk's attention to the wall, which was arrayed with a series of yellow switches. Some of them had equally yellow labels affixed to them, which appeared to be hastily drawn on.

"Now Frisk, like the last room we need to solve a puzzle-lock to let us into the next." Toriel explained, and began waving her hand toward the switches.

"In this room, some, but not all of the switches on the wall here have to be pulled to unlock the door. To help you, I have marked which switches to pull." At this, Toriel's pleased, happy expression returned as she regarded Frisk. They both smiled, his small, hers wide as she leaned down to his eye-level.

"Why don't you try it, my child? Go and flick the switches I have marked so that we can move on?" Toriel gently said. She let go of his hand and made for the closed door at the other side of the room.

Frisk slowly made his way over the bridge and approached the switches. Toriel had marked them in the same language on the signs, and he could not read them. He looked behind him, partly to see Toriel patiently watching him, and also to regard Chara who had followed him closely.

At his look, Chara said in an encouraging voice- "*They just say 'pull this one', it's not that hard Frisk". She smiled in what he assumed was a cheeky manner, and he quickly turned back to the switches, lightly embarrassed.

Frisk reached up and flicked the switches which Toriel had marked. Upon switching the last one, slowly-but-surely the previously closed door opened with a groan. He happily looked at Toriel, who had a proud look on her face.

"Splendid Frisk! Not all puzzles are going to be this easy however! Let us move on to the next room, it shouldn't be long until we get to my house" Toriel assured in a happy voice. This time, she did not hold her hand out for Frisk as she moved into the next room.

Frisk, slightly disappointed but not downtrodden, made to follow her.

"*She didn't come in here to get rid of any monsters at all, she told you to wait so she could label those switches" Chara said in a comprehending voice. At this, Frisk raised his eyebrows in realisation.

"Toriel is trying to teach me" He finally responded. He felt himself becoming happier, Toriel really was nice.

"*A good thing too, I don't think she was lying about the puzzles getting harder." Chara moved past him and into the doorway. "*Come on Frisk! She's waiting for you!" Chara exclaimed.

Frisk, shaking his head at the spectacle and her words, walked into the next room.

-X-

The next room was far smaller than the previous two, and was devoid of scenery with exception to what appeared to be a stuffed mannequin of a creature Frisk could not identify. The room was lit similarly to the others. _'This place really is ruined. How does Toriel live here?'_ Frisk thought to himself.

The doorway to the next room was open, but Toriel was stood in it wearing a serious expression.

"Frisk, as a human, you may be attacked by certain monsters who live here. I need you to be prepared for what to do in case they try to hurt you" Toriel explained regretfully.

Frisk however, was terrified. "There are more monsters who want to hurt me?" he said fearfully.

Toriel waved her hands in front of her in a placating manner, seeing Frisk get anxious. "Don't worry my child! Only some monsters may do this, and they probably won't even want to fight you!" she stated confidently.

"If a monster tries to attack you, keep your distance and strike up a friendly conversation! I'm sure you, and they will find that instead of fighting, you can be friends instead!" At Toriel's assurance, Frisk felt himself calm down. He could do this.

Frisk quickly looked back at Chara, who had narrowed her eyes slightly, almost… in disagreement? But she was otherwise just listening in.

"If such a situation should arise Frisk, talk to them and stall for time. I will come and resolve any disagreement" Toriel continued happily.

"Now, imagine that dummy there is a mean monster" Toriel pointed to the beat-up dummy in the centre of the room. It was propped up by a rusty metal pole, and looked as if it could fall over any second. Unremarkable as it was, Frisk had trouble imagining it to be mean.

"Why don't you practice talking to that 'monstrous dummy'?" Toriel finished, folding her arms and smiling.

At this, Frisk approached the dummy with Chara in tow. As he looked at it, he noticed the hollowed out eyes of the stuffed figure. He could swear they were watching him, making him pause for a second.

Chara however, walked right up to it and poked it with her finger on its long nose, her intangible form preventing it from being knocked over.

After she poked it, Chara said in a tuneful voice- "*A cotton heart and a button eye, you are the apple of my eye. So much for 'mean monster' huh? You could knock it over…or I guess you could practice your people skills like Toriel wanted".

Both Chara and Toriel were looking at him expectantly, so he approached it within arms-distance.

And poked it in the face, just like his human-companion did.

"A button heart and a cotton eye, you are the apple of my eye mister-mannequin! I hope you're having a good day! I've met some nice new people, so I'm happy!" Frisk chirped. Chara snorted beside him, very unladylike.

Before he could continue however, Toriel drew toward him and with a pleased, almost-grateful voice remarked- "Well done Frisk! You were very nice! If you manage to stay like that, no matter how mean any monsters down here are, they'll come round and want to be friends. I'm sure of it!"

Frisk, feeling proud of himself and grateful to Chara for the line, followed Toriel as she moved through the doorway further into the ruins.

He felt determined; as long as he had Chara and Toriel here, he was sure he could do anything.

-X-

 **A/N:** Second chapter done. Hopefully it reads better than the first chapter initially did. Thanks to 'allen Vth' for the suggestion- I've tried to improve the narrative based on what you said, and edited the first chapter based on what you said. It should make for better reading now.

Thanks to those who followed. As we go on, I'll be less long-winded, these chapters are setting the theme and scene. I will try to pace it up from here on out. The next chapter should be either tomorrow or a couple of days from now.


	3. Catacombs

Chapter three – Catacombs

-X-

The new chamber Toriel led the children into differed from the others. To begin with, it was much darker, the ceiling far less hole-ridden; Frisk could not quite see the walls. He shivered, and not from the cool air rushing in from behind him.

Like the previous room, it had no door leading to the next, the brick corridor leading through snaking left and right in such a way that one cannot see the other chamber from the other.

What drew Frisk's attention however (which after a quick glance he saw that Toriel was pleased with) was the pale-grey silt path winding through this first chamber, contrasting greatly with the dark-brown floor; he could see the path clearly despite the darkness.

"Frisk-" Toriel hesitantly drew his attention.

Toriel leaned forward towards him, smiled, and continued, "There is another puzzle involving these next two rooms. It is a little different from the others however… Could you try and solve it for me?" This she asked with a hint of trepidation that left Frisk feeling uncertain, but he wasn't about to let such a kind person down.

He nodded demurely, "Yes ma'am". At this, Toriel's eyes widened, her fanged mouth dropped open slightly.

Toriel spluttered, "There's no need to call me that, Frisk! Just call me Toriel, how about that?" She finished with what she presumed was a comforting smile, her eyes closed. _'This poor child… but how endearing!'_ she thought.

Frisk responded to this with a quivering lip, holding his hands tightly to his chest.

"*Call her 'Mom' you big cry-baby. It's what I did" Chara spoke matter-of-factly. She had moved to Toriel's side, looking between her and Frisk with a small smile.

"Could you be… could I call you…?" Frisk struggled to find the words. He felt tears well up in his eyes, but he would not let them fall, and shut them before they could.

Toriel pulled him into a light hug. "There, there my child. You can do this, I won't be far, I promise" she spoke out softly.

At this, Frisk calmed down. What he said next almost made Toriel jump.

"Thank you, mom" Frisk mumbled, sincerely, quietly.

Toriel was astonished, holding him in front of her. She did not let the surprise appear on her face. Instead, she gave a strong smile and looked him straight in the eyes- "Frisk, would that make you happy? You and I have just met… Are you sure you would like to call me… mother?"

Frisk nodded so rapidly, the motion shaking them both.

' _Frisk… do you not have anyone to return to…? My poor child…'_ At this thought, Toriel gave him as strong a smile as she could muster, hugging him once again. "If that would make you happy, you may give me whatever name you wish! We'll be together for a while after all!" She said gently.

Toriel then rose, letting Frisk go. Her own tears, for him and her past would not be shed here. She continued with the previous subject before they did.

"Could you be strong for me then Frisk, and show me you can solve this puzzle?" She asked almost pleadingly now.

She watched Frisk as he obligingly and determinedly nodded. She then proceeded with a slightly faster pace toward the dark corridor.

Frisk watched her go. "*Smooth Frisk, real smooth." Chara teased. "*You really had it bad up there didn't you, to follow my suggestion so easily". This Chara said in a more muted, considerate voice.

He didn't look at her face, gazing instead low, at the silty path, and slowly nodded.

"*Well it would make her happy to do as mom asks then, wouldn't it? We can't wait around here forever, after all." Chara continued assuredly, laying an intangible hand on his shoulder.

Frisk noticed two things here; that he almost _felt_ her hand there… Did he imagine it? Secondly, how naturally Chara also referred to Toriel as 'mom' also. He set this aside in his mind for later however, deciding to heed Chara's advice.

Frisk turned to the plaque imbedded into the wall, he could just make out the words in the darkness, not that he could read them. "Chara, what do the words say?" He quietly asked so that only she could hear.

Chara moved closer to the sign, and read- "*'The eastern room is the western room's blueprint'. Strange… Does that make this the eastern room? We'd have to see the next room to be sure" Chara rambled thoughtfully.

Frisk nodded and smiled in thanks, and then turned back to the snaking silt-path that had so drawn his attention. "A blueprint? Could it mean this path here? It does look out of place…" He said with increasing confidence.

Chara thought about this, and nodded, smiling slightly. "*I think you could be onto something there, _my child_ " She said that last part with a deep, joking voice. Frisk pulled a face at this, and turned toward the corridor, moving toward it. Chara followed, giggling quietly the whole way.

-X-

The brick corridor was much longer, and much _darker_ than Frisk had thought. It widened in what he assumed was the centre, shadows dancing where the wall and the floor met. As he walked through, he was uneasy- were the shadows _watching_ him? He swore that they were, as ridiculous as it sounded.

Not so ridiculous.

Frisk's expectations became reality as out of the darkness, something jumped toward him. He struggled not to let out a shriek, had Chara not stood at his side, he was sure he would have done. As it stood, he let out a whimper- he would not let this monster know he was frightened!

Not that he should have been.

The 'frightening monster' before him appeared to be a toad of some kind, only its eyes appeared almost _human_. Its mouth, set in a grim, almost mournful expression, its greenish-brown body low to the ground as it sat on all-fours.

The toad gazed at Frisk curiously, and croaked. It did not notice Chara, who undeterred moved up close to it, and knelt so she could have a closer look at the creature.

"*It's a Froggit. Doesn't sound like he wants to hurt you or anything, he just asked who you were is all." Chara explained nonchalantly.

Frisk stared at her. He felt his confidence increase alongside his bewilderment. "You can speak frog?" He asked doubtfully.

At this, the Froggit hopped closer to Frisk and croaked in what he assumed was a questioning manner. One eye was half closed, its head tilted.

"*He just asked who you were talking to. Remember Frisk, only you can see me. It won't do to have people think you're crazy now would it?" Chara said quickly.

Frisk shook his head at her, then focussed on the Froggit, which was still watching him from the ground. "A-ah Mister Froggit, I was just talking to myself, I…" Frisk said stutteringly.

The Froggit hopped toward Frisk again, and this time Frisk stood his ground firmly. He could do this.

"*Hey, why not telling him to go away? You're a lot bigger than he is… Or you could, I don't know, tell him what a pretty frog he is? Maybe he'll appreciate that?" Chara suggested jokingly, flippantly waving her hands.

Frisk took the second recommendation. Half-closing his eyes and smiling, he leaned down and cheerfully said- "You're looking mighty handsome today Mister Froggit, I bet all the princesses line-up to kiss you!"

The Froggit's eyes seemed to widen as it sat there stock-still. Frisk thought for a moment he had offended it, before it croaked again quietly. Chara snickered the whole time.

"*I don't think he _quite_ understood what you said, but he seems flattered anyway!" Chara then laughed, as Frisk pouted at her.

Initially unnoticed by the children however, was the return of Toriel. She walked back through the corridor, wanting to check up on Frisk to ensure he was doing okay. To her surprise, a contrast of happy and angry emotion, it appeared to her that Frisk had been talking to much avail with the Froggit in front of him.

The Froggit noticed her immediately however, and at her stern, stormy glower, hopped away quickly into the darkness.

Frisk and Chara, now noticing the presence of Toriel, looked toward her, the Froggit having made its getaway. Toriel watched the monster go for a little while, before turning toward Frisk with a gentle smile and asked "Are you ready to come through, Frisk?"

Frisk nodded with a stronger smile than he had been able to muster previously in this strange new world, and with an appreciative, beckoning glance at Chara, moved toward the exit.

Chara, in her muted amusement, made to follow. Hidden from them both though was the yearning expression as she watched him grasp onto Toriel, missing the touch.

-X-

Frisk let go of Toriel's purple robe in surprise at the 'puzzle' presented in the next room.

' _Puzzle… more like deathtrap!'_ Frisk's mind raced frightfully at the scene. Instead of the dark, plain brown floor he become accustomed to, there were hundreds of gleaming-silver spikes, so sharp he could not make out where the tips ended.

Frisk looked up to Toriel's face. She had a closed-off expression, as if resigned. She stood there staring down at the spikes, and said nothing.

He then turned his head toward Chara, who looked… determined?

"*Frisk, can you see just before the spikes here?" Chara pointed down toward the spikes on his right, his eyes followed. After squinting in such a dark room, he could just make out what looked like a raised paving before the spikes. Small enough to not be obvious, but it clearly meant something. He looked back at Chara, who had an accomplished expression.

"*Think Frisk! It might be a pressure plate- if you stand on it, the spikes should lower" She waved behind her toward the corridor they had come through. "*Remember what the sign said? That path has to be the clue to getting through these spikes!"

He remembered. Looking back at the pressure plate, he thought back to the path; it zigzagged twice, starting at the bottom- which he quickly figured out must mean where the plates started on the right.

At this, Frisk broke out a big smile, gleaming at Chara, who nodded, returning a lopsided smile of her own. He could do this. With a quick glance to Toriel, who was still musing, he moved with resolve toward the spikes.

Swallowing any doubts he had, he stood on the plate. With a rapid hiss, the spikes in front of him retracted into the ground, making him jump.

"*That's it! Check for another pressure plate in-front to your left, I bet what that sign said is true, and that we should zig-zag through these" Chara proudly exclaimed, rushing up behind him.

It was the most emotion he had seen from her thus far. _'Perhaps she likes to solve puzzles, or…?'_ Frisk contemplated with a smile.

Steeling himself, setting his shoulders straight, he slowly moved to check on the truth of their theory. He could see the next pressure plate! They had worked together, however small, and figured it out!

Before he could step onto the next plate though, Toriel suddenly approached behind him, placing her clawed hands on his shoulders. "Wait my child!" Toriel cried with concern. Her grasp held him in place.

"This puzzle… seems a little dangerous for you right now. Take my hand and I'll lead you through" Toriel continued delicately, throwing a pained smile.

Frisk couldn't help but feel a little disappointed, but smiled back and nodded. Chara folded her arms and pouted. "*So much for _that_ " she harrumphed petulantly, but said no more and followed as Toriel led Frisk by the hand slowly through the spikes.

Frisk noticed as he was led through that Chara's theory was correct, that the solution was to zig-zag through the barbs. Soon enough however it did not matter as the three of them left the spikes, and moved through the door at the end of the room.

-X-

This room was, if anything, _darker_ than the previous, which was dark enough as it was! Only a few holes punctured the ceiling, allowing the glistening orange light to filter through. Just enough to see by, but once again he could not see the walls clearly. The other side of the room was out of sight- _'This room must be huge!'_ Frisk assumed.

Noticing his unsure expression, but pleased at the strength she saw was now present, Toriel made good on the tough decision she had been arguing with herself over.

"My child, I… I am sorry for this. But I need to ask you to do something else for me" Toriel looked him the eye with what she thought was a strong look.

"Could you make it to the other side of this room by yourself? I know you can do it!" Toriel requested in a regretful voice. Before Frisk could respond, she quickly moved off into the darkness, and was quickly swallowed by the shadows.

Normally, such a request might seem ridiculous. Not here however, the yawning abyss ahead more ominous than he had ever seen. He was frozen in place. "Why would Mom…" Frisk cut his words short, the familiar title still alien on his lips.

"*C'mon Frisk, it's not that hard! Remember, we just have to walk… through…" Chara's voice petered out, and for a moment looked unsure herself. She quickly squashed the feeling down- _'I am stronger than this!'_ With that thought, she firmly placed her hand on Frisk's right shoulder.

"*Let's go. If anyone jumps out at us, we can deal with them together, right partner?" She said with a resolute frown settled on her face, gazing into Frisk's eyes.

Frisk was taken aback at her words, but quickly gathered himself and nodded with a quivering smile. "Right!" He whispered. They set off at a quick pace into the dark.

As they moved, Chara never removing her hand from his shoulder- He _swore_ he could feel it- the darkness seemed to move around them. It was utterly silent outside of Frisk's swift footfalls.

Nothing jumped out. Nothing reached out to grab them. Nothing made a sound. Nothing. Before long, they could see the other side of the room. "*See it wasn't that hard was it now?" Chara joked, a little _too_ quickly.

Frisk ignored the tease, and instead quietly said, "Thank you, Chara". He smiled at her. Chara simply smiled back, and pointed at a solitary pillar to the side of the exit.

This time, he did not feel his resolve leave him, and approached the white, striated pillar. He briefly wondered why Chara had pointed to it, until his question was abruptly answered.

He yelped as Toriel suddenly moved around the pillar, leaning toward him with a proud look.

"Do not be afraid Frisk! I am proud of you, making your way all by yourself through this room" Toriel stated. Frisk gave a guilty start, but Toriel did not notice. Chara moved closer, sniffing humorously.

"As you can see, I never truly left you… This was just a test. A test of your 'independence'! And you passed with flying colours" Toriel finished with a pleased smile.

Frisk felt inordinately pleased with her words, if he stayed strong, this wasn't so bad after all! He felt like he had accomplished much in such a short time- if Chara stayed by his side, he could manage. He pasted a determined frown on his face, making Toriel chuckle lightly, and Chara smirk once again.

Without another word, Toriel moved toward the exit of this latest room, Frisk and Chara in close-tow.

-X-

This room was much brighter; not only was the ceiling more porous, but there were sconces with lit torches imbedded into the wall at 15 pace intervals. This time, there were two doorways in addition to the one the trio had entered through. The bright, red-brick room had deep piles of red leaves deposited against some of the walls.

' _The leaves must fall through the holes in the ceiling'_ Frisk surmised. He did not have much longer to think on this however, as Toriel whirled on him once again.

"Frisk, I must ask you to wait here. This room is safe, nothing will hurt you as long as you remain in here." Toriel voiced this whilst not looking at his face.

"Where are you going M-mom? You'll come back, right?" Frisk quickly, pleadingly said.

"Of course I am Frisk! I am just going ahead to prepare some things, make sure the way is safe, clean up-" Toriel stopped herself suddenly here, a thoughtful look on her face.

"Do you by any chance like cinnamon? Or maybe butterscotch? It's important!" She listed this off quickly. To Frisk, the question did not make sense. But he answered honestly.

"I don't know what they are. Are they… flavours?" He answered with a question.

Toriel looked abashed. "Oh my child. Do not worry, I am sure you will like both! Now wait here for a little while. As long as you stay in here, you will be safe, and I will return and quickly bring you to my home. How does a nice pie to fill your stomach sound?" Toriel quickly said.

Frisk nodded excitedly at the prospect of food. He was quite hungry, cinnamon and butterscotch sounded interesting!

"Okay my child, wait here, and I will be back in no time!" At this, Toriel moved rapidly into the next room and out of sight, truly leaving Frisk and Chara to themselves for the first time since they entered the ruins.

Frisk, the recent experiences having 'hardened' him somewhat, remained resolute. Chara by his side, and Toriel not too far away, what did he have to worry about?

-X-

 **A/N** : The latest chapter! Thanks to 'allen Vth' and 'Zypheriel' for the kind reviews.

This is where it starts to pick up! The next chapter should be out either late tomorrow or Saturday. Please don't hesistate to drop me some criticism if it reads poorly, whichever! I would like to improve :-)

See you then my friends!


	4. Warrens

Chapter Four – Warrens

-X-

With the absence of Toriel, the children were left with nothing to do but wait. The muted rusty-light, the crackling of the burning torches and soft echoes of… things somewhere through the unexplored doorways for company.

Frisk had sat down, leaning back against the wall next to the entrance they had come through turning over the large red leaves littered around in his hand. Chara meanwhile paced slowly, trudging between the two unexplored doorways. Her face was set in a frown of concentration, and she would occasionally venture closer to the open thresholds, peering through.

Frisk was deep in thought; left nothing to do but think and occasionally glance at Chara, he contemplated his decision to call Toriel his mother.

No stranger, let alone adult had seen fit to be this kind toward him before, to hug him and reassure him that everything would be okay. He figured it was perhaps a little bit of blind faith, but Frisk wholeheartedly believed she would return.

Chara too; though he wasn't entirely sure she wasn't a phantom of his imagination yet, and despite her intense, mischievous manner, she hadn't left his side after entering the ruins. He was certain he had found, for the time being at least, a friend.

As he brought himself out of his thoughts, he watched her patrol. She seemed… unhappy? Disappointed perhaps? Was it about being a ghost? Frisk resolved to find out, return her kindness and be her friend.

' _Maybe, if me and Chara can find a way out of here… the three of us can live on the surface! That would be…'_ Frisk's train of thought petered out. Was it too much to wish for?

Instead, he spoke up, asking a question which had been eating at him. His cracked-voice cut through the quiet ambience of the ruins like a sharp knife, surprising the both of them.

"Chara… what did you mean earlier, when you said you called Toriel… Mom?"

Chara stopped pacing and whirled to face him. "*I meant exactly what I said, I call Toriel Mom… Or I did before" Chara said evenly, an eyebrow raised in puzzlement.

Frisk's eyes opened wide at this. "Then she's your… Toriel is your mother?" His surprised exclamation echoed loudly throughout the room. Chara appeared human, but was incorporeal after all… was she actually a monster like Toriel and Flowey were?

Chara was taken aback, her mouth hanging open in surprise and her brown eyes wide, still as a statue. Then the image was broken by her short bark of a laugh, her face contorted tight in mirth. She held her arms tight to her abdomen as she proceeded to double-over, and began giggling with increasing intensity, ending in a full belly-laugh.

Through this display, Frisk held himself tight out of slight embarrassment, feeling his cheeks redden further with each giggle.

This only continued for a few seconds, before Chara returned to standing loosely-straight. She brought a hand to wipe her eyes, it seemed a few tears had made their way there. Frisk had flushed to become rosier than the perpetual red of Chara's cheeks.

"*Sorry Frisk, that was just the funniest thing ever…" Chara let out a shaky breath, her hilarity depleted, and set her face with the biggest smile Frisk had seen on her yet.

"*No, Toriel isn't my _real_ mother. Like you when I was found down here, she and her family took me in. They were so nice… I guess you'd say they became my new family" Chara elaborated, the look in her eyes becoming distant.

After a moment of silence whereby Chara did not continue, Frisk decided to interject, having thought of something with her words.

"Mom is so nice, I'm not surprised you are too. As far as I see it, she's your real mom" he finished with a soft smile. Chara's smile was crooked.

"*Thanks Frisk, but-" She was interrupted by what Frisk said next.

"But you talk as if it was in the past. Why is Toriel not your mom anymore? Why are you a ghost? Why…" Frisk stopped himself as he saw Chara's surprised expression return, this time with no hint of amusement.

Reflecting on what he had just said, he realised what he had asked might seem inappropriate, particularly for someone who he had just become friends with. But he couldn't help but wonder, his mouth running before his inhibitions!

"*I…" Chara took a moment to collect herself, and frowned.

' _Did her eyes just become… redder?'_ Frisk thought. He regretted the questions now.

"*Let's just say I and… someone else… had a plan. A _good_ plan. We wanted to save everyone. It failed, and now I'm stuck here with you. Let's leave it at that please" Chara snapped. All the humour from before had gone, her face set grim, but not angry.

Now Frisk felt ashamed. "I-I'm sorry, Chara. I didn't mean-" His apology was interrupted by her waving her hands dismissively.

"*Don't worry about it Frisk, just… don't ask me right now. I'm as in the dark as you are." Frisk disagreed with this, but kept the comment to himself.

Chara then moved to the unexplored doorway on Frisk's left, the one Toriel had not left through. After a moment of intently staring through it, Chara turned back to Frisk with a smirk, the previous moment seemingly forgotten.

"*If you're done playing with those crinkly leaves, do you fancy going on a little explore…?" She asked this, drawing out the last word with an increasing tone of excitement whilst staring at him eagerly.

Frisk shook his head slowly. "Mom said she'd come back here to get me. What if we go and I'm not here? What if it's dangerous? What if…" Frisk went quiet, having run out of excuses. The little adventure thus far had bolstered his confidence. What if he just took a peek?

Besides, if Chara was with him, what harm could there be in a look around? He knew Toriel would find him. _'But she might be unhappy if I wander… I don't want her to be sad…'_ Frisk thought.

Chara was unperturbed by his initial refusal, she could see the spark in his eyes. "*Come on Frisk, it could be fun! Besides, maybe Mom will be proud you were brave enough to explore- Maybe! Maybe we'll actually find our way to her home before she has to come back for you!" She chattered, trying to tempt him.

"*What harm could there be in a little fun?" She drove the point home. Chara knew they'd be fine wandering together, Frisk just had to be on-board.

It worked.

Frisk got up steadily, the collection of leaves he had been gathering onto his lap falling to the ground about his feet. He had a small, spirited smile, and moved to Chara's side.

"*I knew you had it in you, partner." They shared a giggle, and walked through the doorway.

-X-

The chamber they entered was small, and had no further exits. The walls were covered in vines, two long-protruding sconces with lit torches to either side of the threshold they entered from. Frisk glanced down to see that similarly to the room with the brick foot-bridge, there were water channels built into the floor. The water was so dark, the bottom could not be seen. Frisk shivered.

Before the room could be considered a waste of time however, the chiselled pedestal in the centre of the room had to be addressed. It lured both children toward it like moths to a flame. Why was it so alluring?

Because it had an array of multi-coloured sweets on it, that's why!

As they stopped next to it, Chara frowned in disappointment. "*No chocolate. That's no fun... not that I could eat them anyway" She petulantly stated, her hand passed through the bowl. Frisk however, was focussed on the assortment of appealing treats.

Before he made to grab as many handfuls as he could to stuff his mouth, Chara stopped him with a hand on his arm. "*It says 'Take one' Frisk." She pointed at a little paper note stuck to the underside of the bowl. "*Don't be _too_ greedy now" Chara chided.

Frisk stopped himself momentarily. Again he pondered on how she was sometimes able to touch him, having stopped him there, but was unable to pick up the sweets. He was distracted however, by the sweets.

"What harm is there in a little fun?" Frisk muttered, staring at the bowl. His use of her words was not lost on Chara.

"*This isn't about fun, it's about being greedy!" Chara reproached him once again.

Frisk felt a little rebellious, he was hungry after all! Surely she could understand?

"What's the harm in taking a couple? Come on Chara!" Frisk whined. He reached for the sweets again, and took a handful. He then proceeded to comically shove them into his mouth, Chara pulling a face at the display.

' _So nice! They're like nougat…'_ Frisk thought appreciatively. He had tasted nougat once before, finding it to be one of the best things he had ever tasted.

At this, he instinctively reached for another, a little too fast. "*Wait Frisk-" Chara exclaimed, to no avail.

In his fervour, Frisk had pushed the bowl off the pedestal and onto the floor, where it had then smashed, spreading the sweets around in a multicolour pattern.

Chara shook her head, her voice grave- "*Now look at what you've done. Someone left these here, and you've gone and dirtied them". He instantly felt ashamed, how could he be so greedy as to do this, let alone break their furniture?

"I-I'm sorry Chara. I just-" Frisk was stopped by a sudden shrill voice that echoed in from above. The children looked frantically to the pockmarked ceiling, wondering where the terrifying monster would come through. Frisk felt himself once again rooted to the spot, but was calmed when Chara put her arm on his shoulder, her diatribe put to the side for now.

"Who did that?! Who broke it?! Which one of you clumsy oafs broke my…" The previously echoing screech suddenly became rather… small, the figure eliciting it revealed before them. The menacing being turned to address them, surely to attack...

"Oh-oh no…" The creature babbled, frightened. Frisk gaped; it had to be just over twice the height of is palm outstretched, had insect-like wings and antennae, tiny matchstick arms and legs. Its green, rotund body had a strange but terrified face, and it gawked at Frisk with beady-black eyes.

The creature meekly spoke- "P-please don't hurt me, I-I j-just… My free s-sweets…" It now exhibited an expression between fright and disappointment, its eyes never leaving Frisk's.

Chara, recovering from her shock first, let out an endearing sigh of relief. "Poor little guy, you ruined his offering! He's shaking so much, it looks if you struck him he'd break into a million pieces!" Chara let out a small bark of laughter.

Frisk did not find it so funny, partially because this was his fault, and on what Chara had said- he was averse to violence. He frowned at her, hoping the skittish creature before them did not find it too odd.

"*Whaa-at? It was just a joke Frisk! How about you cheer up the little guy, console him a bit? Maybe apologise…?" Chara suggested, shrugging.

Gathering himself, Frisk pasted what he thought was a friendly expression on his face and approached the creature. It shied away slightly, but Frisk was intent. He gathered his arms around it, making sure not to crumple its wings, and hugged gently.

"I'm sorry Mister. I'll…help you clear them up!" Frisk hoped to sound cheerful, but it came out a little awkwardly.

The creature froze, and stopped shaking. Frisk continued to hold onto it, hoping. Chara remained silent.

Eventually, the creature relaxed in Frisk's arms. "Y-you're not going to hurt me, big-fellow?" chirped the creature. Frisk shook his head, smiling all the while.

"What's your name, Mister…" Frisk inquired, having been encouraged from the monster's shyness. He hoped to take this bad situation he had made, and instead make a new friend.

"I-I… My n-name is Whimsun b-big-fellow. What's yours?" Whimsun's voice strengthened with each word.

"My name is Frisk, Mister Whimsun. I am very sorry for breaking your bowl and dirtying the sweets. I'll clean it up. The sweets are very nice" Frisk chattered positively. He then proceeded to make good on his promise, kneeling down to scoop up the now-dusty sweets and shards of pottery from the floor.

"O-oh thank you, Frisk. Y-you apologised, which is the main thing!" Whimsun said rapidly. The little fairy-like creature flew down to help Frisk pick up the mess.

"*Aren't you just the sweetest? Seems you turned round that situation though!" Chara stated, starting off sarcastic but ending with a pleased tone. Frisk smiled at this, Whimsun continued unhearing.

Once they had cleared up the sweets, Frisk apologised once more to Whimsun, who assured him not to worry.

"Thank you for even bothering to apologise, and pick up the mess… No one else seems to when they do it" Whimsun said, muttering toward the end.  
Frisk responded by cuddling the little creature once again. "O-ooh" mumbled Whimsun, enjoying the hug.

"S-say Frisk, if I see you in the ruins again, I'll have more sweets for you!" Whimsun chirped with a big smile on its face.

Frisk gave a toothy-grin. "That'd be great Whimsun! Thank you very much sir!" Frisk said cheerfully.

Whimsun, looking pleased, bade him farewell and slowly flew up through one of the holes in the ceiling, clutching onto the remainder of the sweets.

"*That was nice Frisk, you seemed to make him happy despite breaking his stuff" Chara teased after Whimsun left, grinning.

Frisk responded by turning to her with his own grin, and said "Thank you Chara. That and for suggesting I cheer him up, it looked like he needed it." His smile turned somewhat plaintive. Then he popped a sweet he had been hiding in his pockets into his mouth.

Chara's face fell. "*You're the worst." She said, longing for the sweet.

They both then chuckled, and moved out of the room to pick a different route of exploration.

-X-

This time, the boy and girl chose the doorway Toriel _had_ disappeared through. She had not yet returned. "*The expedition must continue!" Chara cheerfully stated, almost skipping through the open door before Frisk.

They passed through a short, unlit corridor with a cracked floor, light pouring in from the entrance ahead. Whilst Chara could just walk through it with ease, Frisk had a little more difficulty ensuring the floor did not give way on him. _'If someone as big as Toriel can walk over this, then I can!'_ Frisk thought positively.

With some guidance from Chara, telling him which parts were less crumbly, Frisk got through the obstacle rapidly.

The next room they entered was much lit much better than the corridor… for it had no roof at all. The twinkling 'sky' above them providing them with the light to see by. Like the room with eloquent spike-trap, this room also contained the barbed hazard. A whole array of spikes stood out from the floor at the opposite side of the room, blocking the way.

The only other features this ceiling-less room had were a small, raised grey-paving in the very centre, and several large rocks strewn about. _'They must be from when the ceiling collapsed in'_ Frisk mused. They both walked toward the paving-stone.

"I guess this is important…?" Frisk ventured hopefully, pointing at the slab. Chara nodded thoughtfully, her face pulled into a pondering frown. She raised her hand to her chin, her index finger rested beneath her lip to complete the 'contemplating' look. Frisk thought it looked rather cute for a moment, and shook his head to clear his thoughts.

Chara meanwhile started looking around. Spotting what she was searching for, she moved toward one of the walls. A plaque, similar to the other 'puzzle-rooms' was imbedded into the wall, having rusted to the same colour of the bricks surrounding it.

"*'Three out of four rocks recommend you push them'" Chara read out evenly. She turned back to Frisk, her mouth set unevenly, one eyebrow raised. "*Is that some sort of joke?" she complained.

Frisk, equally bewildered by the message, looked at the paving. "Well, it must be a pressure plate, like that room before" he concluded, and stepped onto the stone. Like he expected, it gave slightly, and with a slow screech the spikes rescinded into the ground.

"*Huh. Is it really that simple?" Chara said, disbelieving. Her question was answered in short-order, when Frisk moved off the paving-stone toward the spikes. With a sudden ringing-grating noise, the spikes reappeared rapidly out of the ground. Had anyone been stood over them…

Chara broke through Frisk's surprise. "*Guess not huh? Looks like we'll need to weigh the plate down so we can cross through" Chara resolved evenly. "*A few of these rocks should do the trick, hey?" She turned to Frisk with an accomplished smile.

Frisk felt his smile return, and set about picking up the scattered debris and laying it upon the pressure plate. Sure enough, after a few stones were laid atop it, the pressure plate sank down, shortly followed by the spikes ahead.

Both children gave pleased noises at this. "*Well, that was easy. Let's go Frisk! I bet we'll catch up to mom in no time!" Chara said encouragingly.

Frisk beckoned to her slightly, and they moved together into the next part of the labyrinth.

-X-

The next chamber posed a similar challenge to Frisk alone, for the floor was all-crumbly leading up to the exit. It was well-lit, though this time it had a roof, and was instead accommodated by burning torches.

There was a small trapdoor near the entrance they had come through, but they ignored it, reasoning that Toriel probably did not use it. Feeling courageous to the point of foolhardiness, Frisk made for the door, tiptoeing over the uneven surface.

Chara raised her hand to stop him to no avail. "*Frisk, wait-!" she cried, too late.

The floor beneath Frisk gave way with a loud 'crack', and Frisk fell with a startled shout to the floor below.

Rather luckily, Frisk fell neither far nor too hard, landing on a deep pile of the rusty-coloured leaves he had become familiar with. He raised his head from the cushion of dead foliage to see that the leaves were scattered in a large, winding pile toward the side of the room.

"*Frisk! Are you okay? You're not hurt are you?" Chara shouted with concern. Frisk looked up through the hole he dropped through, seeing Chara's rosy-cheeked face staring down at him in worry.

"Y-yeah! I'm okay, I fell on this big pile of leaves!" Frisk shouted back, stuttering.

"*You need to be more careful next time!" Chara chided. "*Is there any way you can get back up here?" She asked.

Frisk looked around once more. He spotted another plaque on the wall in the dialect he could not read. Behind him, he spotted a rickety looking ladder, which he surmised led up to the trapdoor he spotted earlier in the room above.

"There's a ladder I can climb up!" he shouted, getting up from the pile and moving toward the ladder. He grasped the ladder once he reached it, it felt strong in-spite of its appearance. He proceeded to climb up it, and not looking down, pushed open the trapdoor in the ceiling to reveal Chara standing next to it and the room above.

"*That'll teach you to be more careful now won't it?" Chara continued her scolding tirade. "*We need to think before we move you dunce. Was there anything else down there Frisk?" She asked intently.

Frisk stood there embarrassed at the correctly-placed insult, hand behind his head. "Yeah, there was a sign with writing on it. Maybe it has a clue you can read?" He ventured.

Chara nodded and smiled, moved to the ladder and climbed down it, followed tentatively by Frisk. _'At least she's not afraid of heights… She's doesn't appear to be afraid of anything_ ' Frisk mused to himself to take his mind off of said heights.

When they reached the sign, Chara read out what was on it- "*'Please, don't step on the leaves'. They really like their humour don't they?" Chara muttered the last part, pouting.

Frisk, having a spark of intuition, quickly glanced around at the oddly deposited leaf-piles, and then at the ceiling. He could barely make it out, but in a familiarly laid-out pattern, the ceiling appeared stronger in areas than others.

"It's a hint, like on the other signs! Look, the leaves are placed around strangely yeah?" He continued excitedly after Chara's nod.

"The ceiling looks stronger where it isn't above the leaves! Maybe that's what the sign means- don't step on the leaves, because where they are, the floor will collapse if you stand on them!" Frisk finished, proudly.

"*I think you might be right, Frisk" Chara said with a slow smile. "*Well, only one way to find out!" She chirped, and they both moved toward and up the ladder.

Before them laid the broken floor once again. There was no evidence like there was below of any strong or weak points in the surface; it all appeared equally brittle.

"*Remember the pattern Frisk?" Chara asked. He nodded slowly, unsure. Chara shrugged at his response. "*Well, if the floor gives way on you again, at least you'll fall onto more leaves" she reasoned. Frisk pouted, but nodded in acceptance.

And proceeded to immediately fall through the floor again.

This time, instead of crying out in worry, Chara doubled over in laughter, the sound reaching Frisk below. He mumbled incoherently, taking a more thorough look at the pattern of the strewn leaf piles before he trudged back and up the ladder.

"*Remember it this time, eh Frisk?" Chara asked sardonically but in good-nature. Frisk frowned, determined to get it right this time. He moved carefully and slowly in the pattern he remembered from below. He closed his eyes so he could picture it, feeling Chara follow him slowly from behind.

After what seemed to take hours, Frisk opened his eyes to the exit to the room right in front of him. He turned round with a pleased expression, presented with Chara's crooked smile.

"*Nice one Frisk. Took some getting there, but you did it!" Her smile widened as his face fell at the reminder.

"Thanks Chara" he said tonelessly but with the smile returning to his face. They then walked through into the next room, Chara snickering to herself the whole way.

-X-

The latest chamber was wide and completely hole-free, the light provided from lit torches adorned along the brick walls. Despite this, there were several large rocks strewn about the room, and Frisk and Chara quickly figured out why.

Across from them, just before the exit was another array of glistening metal spikes. This time however, they did not cross from one side to another, a pool of dark water either side of the spikes.

The children approached the pools. "I don't think I could make that jump" Frisk said, looking around unsure.

"*I don't think you should swim it either" Chara spoke with her voice slightly raised, gazing intently at something in the pool. Frisk followed her eyes to spot several toad-like creatures swimming about- he could just make them out in the light.

"More Froggits?" Frisk whispered. Chara nodded. At this, it seemed the Froggits noticed them, and they swam up to the surface. Once reaching it, they remained there, peering inquisitively at Frisk.

Frisk swallowed down the morsel of fear rising up within him, and spoke to them in as cheerful a voice he could muster- "H-hello there guys! We're- _I'm_ just passing through this room, don't worry about me!" He closed his eyes and smiled in a friendly gesture. The Froggits croaked quietly in what he hoped was a murmur of acceptance.

"You guys have a good day now! Enjoy your swim!" Frisk finished. The Froggits croaked again, and then returned under the water. _'Did one of them…meow at me?'_ Frisk thought in surprise, but paid it no more mind, satisfied that they didn't seem to be unhappy with his presence.

"*I don't think they're much for conversation anyway, they only remarked 'what is that?' and 'doesn't look like food, let's go back to swimming'. I doubt they understood you Frisk" Chara said, slightly apologetic.

Frisk, a little disappointed, shrugged and turned away from the pool, heading to the centre of the room. As he expected, there were the grey pressure-plates- three this time.

"*There's no sign this time, so I guess it works the same as the last room which had these in" Chara reasoned. Frisk smiled and nodded, and began gathering rocks again, placing them onto the pressure plates.

There were only enough of the smaller stones to accommodate two of the plates. Looking around, he spotted a small round boulder, one that reached his knees in height, that he reasoned he could roll to the plate. He moved to do so.

No sooner than he had begun to push it, when from within the boulder a low-pitched voice emanated.

"WHOA there, big guy, who said you could push me around?" At this, Frisk backed away with a gasp. Chara moved alongside him, arms folded.

"*You thought you'd seen everything already eh Frisk?" Chara intoned. Frisk just gaped at her.

"*I doubt you could force this guy to move, no matter what you do. Hmm… Maybe try asking it? You've done pretty well at the 'being nice' thing so far…" Chara suggested, trailing off.

Frisk moved to do just that. "Excuse me sir-" Frisk was interrupted by the boulder- "HMM? What do you want kid?"

"Could you please move and sit on the pressure plate over there? I need to get past the spikes over there, and they'll only go down if something is weighing down the pressure plate. Please?" Frisk pleaded gently.

"Well why didn't you just say so pumpkin? 'Stead of pushing me, hmm? Alrighty, I'll move over…" True to its word, the living-rock began to move toward the paving stone.

This time, Chara joined Frisk in dropping her jaw at the spectacle before them, a boulder awkwardly rolling along of its own volition toward its destination. In short-order, it stopped on the grey stone.

"That good enough, pumpkin?" remarked the pumpkin, unconcerned with Frisk's staring.

Frisk shook himself out of his staring, and thanked the 'boulder', proceeding to walk toward the exit, the spikes having retracted when the boulder met the plate.

Just as Frisk was about to cross over where the spikes had been, they suddenly shot back out into the room, the sound frightening both the children.

"*Now who does he think he is- I'll-" Chara ranted angrily, shaken by the suddenness of the event. Frisk, taking a bit longer to recover, merely turned around and scowled at the boulder.

"Just kidding, pumpkin!" They heard the boulder exclaim, seeing it roll back into position, the spikes falling back into the ground as it did so.

Frisk turned back to his destination and proceeded, a little more hesitantly, to cross over. Making it with all his limbs intact, the pleased smile returned to his face, and he turned to Chara, who was still grumbling over the cheeky boulder.

"Thanks Chara" Frisk said simply. Chara's scowl turned to puzzlement.

"*For what, Frisk?" She responded with a questioning tone.

"For sticking with me, and going on this little adventure with me, of course!" He said sincerely, smiling.

"*Hey don't worry about it. Got nothing better to do." Chara waved her hand dismissively, despite the soft smile growing on her face. "*Shall we?" She invitingly said, pointing toward the next room.

They shared another smile, and moved on through, their wanderlust and determination growing.

-X-

 **A/N:** The latest, HUGE chapter for you guys! I hope you enjoy it! A big thanks to 'allen Vth', 'Zypheriel' and the two guests for their reviews!

As always, please leave me any criticism or comments you may have about this story! I'd like to get better, and your comments will help me do that!

Thanks again, the next chapter could come out tomorrow or the day after again.


	5. Phantoms

Chapter Five – Phantoms

-X-

Frisk and Chara passed through a comparatively plain-looking, strangely well-lit corridor in high spirits. The only object of interest was a small piece of mouldy cheese laid atop a short wooden stool. As they approached in mild interest, Frisk immediately wrinkled his nose in disgust at the pungent aroma- like old feet.

Chara, either not noticing or caring for the smell glanced around, spotting what she was looking for.

"*Looks like this _bait_ isn't even fit for a rodent. It's probably been here so long it's stuck to the stool" Chara remarked dryly, pointing half-heartedly at a small mouse-hole in the wall opposite the cheese.

Paying it no more mind, they continued into the substantially more muted light of the next room.

-X-

True to its initial appearance through the door, this large, tall chamber was eerily dark. Frisk squinted, but could not make out the ceiling through the darkness, what little light there was provided by two strange lit-torches in the centre of the room, where it narrowed considerably.

' _Why are the flames… green?'_ Frisk wondered, his previous confidence beginning to wane in the ominous atmosphere of the room.

There was a strange, echoing-buzz that Frisk couldn't quite locate, just to add further to the peculiarity of the green light.

"Chara, have you ever seen anything like that before? …Hey, Chara, I…" Frisk cut short his questions upon noticing Chara, who had frozen, standing stock-still beside him. She raised her arm needlessly to prevent any more questions, staring at the pile of leaves situated where the room was narrowest.

Frisk followed her gaze, and despite himself and his determination, felt his breath stop at what he saw.

What appeared to be a transparent, stereotypical _ghost_ was laid down on the pile of leaves- it was so large, it was tall enough encompass the width of the room sat where it was. Despite its appearance, Frisk didn't know how he hadn't spotted it before. Not that he could take his eyes off of it now.

' _It looks like the scary costumes I saw in that joke-shop once…'_ Frisk mused, staring at the amorphous figure with wide eyes. The ghost was all white except for its eyes and mouth- it's large, circular, black eyes were closed. The ghost's equally dark mouth was slightly open, and Frisk found the source of the ethereal buzzing.

This stand-off of Frisk and Chara gawking, the ghost humming to itself continued for some time, when with a quiet, whispering voice the spirit broke the impasse.

"Are they gone yet…? How long before they go…" the ghost's mournful voice echoed from all around the room, Frisk felt the hairs on neck stand-up in fright.

Chara seemed to somewhat regain her nerve, and remarked jokingly, in a quavering tone to Frisk- "*Is…Is he pretending to be asleep? He's not doing a very good job, he just gave away his plan!" Her tone increased to its usual strength, finishing her disparagement with a half-hearted smirk.

As if in response to what Chara had said, the ghost sat up, its eyes wide as it peered toward them.

Frisk stood his ground, despite the intense desire to run away. _'I can do this! I managed with the other monsters…'_ His thoughts encouraging him.

Frisk slowly moved toward the staring ghost, hoping that his face didn't convey how terrified he was. Chara meanwhile moved with him, not taking her eyes off of the ghost the way.

As they moved closer, Frisk noticed something about the ghost's expression, difficult as it was to identify it. Reluctance.

"*Let's keep it cool Frisk, how about you start by introducing yourself, get your foot in the door…" Chara rasped quietly into his ear, still not taking her gaze off of the ghost.

Frisk, seemingly encouraged by her advice approached closer. To their surprise, the ghost backed away slightly.

"H-hello there… My name is…Frisk… What's your name…?" Frisk asked, his best attempt at a calm smile on his face, hoping to soothe the tension.

"Bl-…Napstablook" stuttered the ghost quietly. Despite it seeming to withdraw into itself slightly, Frisk edged closer, his arms in front of him in what he thought was a placating gesture. He backed away quickly with what happened next.

"*Frisk!" Chara warned, as glowing white _tears_ began to fall from Napstablook's eyes. Frisk's mind raced- had what he said insulted Napstablook in some way? He couldn't understand why.

' _Maybe if I try again…'_ he thought reasonably, setting the friendly smile firmly on his face.

"Napstablook h-huh? You have a very pretty name! What-" Frisk's soothing speech was interrupted as the tears falling from Napstablook's now-watery eyes fell no more, and instead raced toward Frisk.

Frisk instinctively ducked below the volley, hands tight behind his head. He certainly didn't want to know what might have happened if they had struck him!

He looked up slowly from the ground to Chara, who had moved closer and kneeled down beside him, a hand on his shoulder. "*Now what did he do that for?!" She said irritably.

Chara looked between Napstablook and Frisk, then remarked- "*Seems what your 'introductions' had an effect though, look." Frisk followed her gaze.

Napstablook seemed to be chuckling sombrely to itself- it sounded like sobbing. The tears were once again falling toward the ground however, so with a nod and a determined smile from Chara to lift his confidence, Frisk slowly got up and approached the ghost once again.

"H-hey Napstablook, you l-look really cool! I've never met a ghost like you before… C-can you fly?" Frisk spoke, sounding eager with the question.

The ghost merely tilted its head, and spoke, a little louder this time- "I'm not a cool ghost. I'm just plain, I weigh people down…despite not…weighing…anything" he finished saying lamely.

Frisk glanced at Chara, who whispered "*Keep going!" quietly, a small smile snaking its way onto her face. Feeling inspired, he turned back to Napstablook… and then promptly ducked once again as energised tears flew toward him.

Undeterred, Frisk moved closer to Napstablook, who did not back away this time. "Hey, I think you're cool! I know you think so too, you know why?" Frisk gave a toothy grin, a spark of an idea coming to his mind. Napstablook shook its head.

"Because I can see right through you!" Frisk cried happily, pointing at the ghost's abdomen. "You're see-through, so I can tell you're lying! You know you're great!" Frisk finished with a proud nod, an accomplished smile adorning his face.

Chara's jaw dropped, her left eye twitching. "*Frisk, that has to be the lamest joke I've heard since…" She stopped her diatribe, noticing the reaction of the room's other occupant.

Napstablook had begun to giggle, an ethereal chiming sound rung out through the room at his mirth.

"Heh…heh… that was…funny…" Napstablook muttered, a small smile on his large pale face. The tears, which had stopped falling with Frisk's speech, began to fall once again, and both Frisk and Chara tensed- what was it going to take to get through to this guy?

"*Hey, Frisk, don't give up! I'm sure with enough bad-jokes you'll get through to him" Chara jibed half-mockingly, half-encouragingly. Frisk threw her a lopsided smile, and made to continue, when Napstablook spoke again.

"How's this… for cool…?" Napstablook's voice quiet, but eager. The glowing tears dripping from his eyes no longer fell, and instead began to float upward, just above his head.

After several seconds of Frisk and Chara gaping amazed at the display, Napstablook looking hopefully toward them, the tears coalesced into what appeared to be a large, quivering, glowing-white top-hat, which sat on tap of the ghost's head.

The children were speechless. "I call it the 'dapper blook'" Napstablook announced shyly. "Do you…Do you like it?" the ghost continued, hopeful.

Frisk recovered first, a big smile on his face, his previous fear all but forgotten. "I love it! It looks so… shiny! It really suits you!" Frisk cried cheerfully. Napstablook's eyes and smile widened at the praise.

Chara nodded and spoke at a more even volume- "*I agree, it is rather fetching" she said, smirking.

"Oh-oh no…" muttered Napstablook, sounding panicked all of a sudden. He seemed to withdraw slightly, and started to monologue, almost as if in explanation. "I normally come to the ruins to be by myself… but this time…" Napstablook stopped, smiled and looked up at Frisk.

Then he turned to Chara.

"This time I met some people who were nice" Napstablook finished, the smile on his face reaching his eyes.

Both Frisk and Chara were knocked speechless at this little revelation. Napstablook knew Chara was there!

Before either child could react however, Napstablook started whimpering, and mumbled- "Oh no, I'm rambling aren't I… I'll just…go…"  
Frisk shook himself out of his reverie and cried to no avail. "W-wait! Napstablook!" But in short-order, the ghost had gone, flying _through_ the ceiling.

-X-

"Well that was…" Frisk said, not quite knowing where to start.

The girl and boy had made their way through one of the exits of the room they met Napstablook in, and decided to take a break in a well-lit chamber filled with cobwebs. The webs, strangely, had small signposts next to them

Chara had read out what they said for Frisk in a muted voice, revealing what they were for- a 'spider bake-sale', which asked for several gold pieces in exchange for strange looking donuts and drinks.

Upon Napstablook's disappearance, Chara had pointed wordlessly to a small pile of shiny gold coins left behind by the ghost. Frisk had taken them with the intent of returning them to Napstablook if they saw him again (with the added incentive of an explanation). He assumed these coins were what the spiders were asking for, and felt the temptation rise.

"*I…guess he could see me because he's a ghost" Chara eventually said, flabbergasted. She looked at Frisk from her place sat on the floor, bewilderment on her face.

"I thought only I could see you Chara? So you really are a ghost…" Frisk spoke thoughtfully.

"*Maybe it's just the ghosts. I mean I don't quite know yet why _you_ can see me, but it makes sense that even a monster-ghost can see a human one, right?" Chara said uncertainly.

Chara had a constrained look, trying to think. "*That must be it, I don't have a soul anymore, so only monster-ghosts and you can see me" she chattered, almost trying to reassure them both.

Frisk shrugged. "I don't know why you're so worried about it Chara, aren't you happy someone else might be able see you?" He questioned. He stopped at the look of worry in her eyes.

"*I'd rather it just be you who sees me Frisk. There's some people around the Underground who would… probably be upset if they saw me up and about" Chara hesitantly said.

Now it was Frisk's turn to look puzzled. "Why would they be unhappy…?" He began, then he realised. If Chara was known in the underground, believed to be dead but was back in any form, it didn't take much for Frisk to realise the potential for pain there.

' _She does call Toriel 'mom' too… maybe she had other loved ones down here'_ Frisk thought, finally realising. At the look on his face, Chara nodded.

"*I'm better off staying as your imaginary friend Frisk. I don't mind…" Chara muttered half-heartedly. He wouldn't have any of it.

"No! If Napstablook can be a ghost and everyone can see him, then people should be allowed to see you too! I want to help you-" Frisk was interrupted by Chara's raised voice.

"*I don't want anyone but you to see me and that's final, Frisk! The only other person I'd want to see me is gone, anyways… not that he would want to…" Chara spoke strongly at first, her voice petering out toward the end. She turned away from him.

Frisk sat down next to her almost instinctively, and turned to give her an awkward half-hug in reassuring. He said nothing, resting his forehead on her upper arm, and felt her forearms come up around him too, and tightening, returning the hug.

After several moments of silence, Chara broke it, changing the topic entirely. "*Frisk, why don't you use that gold you picked up to get something to eat from the… shop over there?" She pointed toward the large cobwebs, speaking with a forced tone.

Frisk decided it was definitely for the best to drop the previous topic. _'She'll tell me one day I'm sure, maybe when we get to the surface. She can't want to remain unknown to everyone forever'_ he reasoned, sadly.

He turned to the matter at hand, facing the cobwebs, bringing the gold from his pocket to his hand. He had already stood up and made it halfway to the webbing when he stopped himself, and turned back to Chara with a frown on his face.

"I can't spend Napstablook's money Chara! That would be stealing!" He may have not been raised very well, but stealing money was a big no-no drilled into his virtues from early on.

Chara responded sardonically, an eyebrow half-raised. "*What, like you weren't stealing Whimsun's sweets earlier?"

Frisk smiled slightly, glad she seemed to be already returning to her wit. "Those were _free_ though! This is money, which isn't free" He responded reasonably, feeling a building sense of shame at his hypocrisy.

Chara rose from the ground, and blew her hair from her face dismissively. "*We'll make it up to him. I'm sure he won't mind, you wouldn't want him to know you've gone hungry despite you holding onto his money, would you?" she said practically.

Frisk was torn, the sweets from earlier hadn't really filled him up, and he was hungry…

He relented, and made his way toward the cobwebs, resolving to find some way to make or find some money so he could pay the shy-ghost back. Chara snickered quietly behind him.

-X-

After buying some strange, crunchy donuts from the spiders, the process of which involved a strange back-and-forth game of shaking cobwebs and strange dances with his arms (much to Chara's amusement), the two children made their way back to the green-lit room and through the other exit.

They passed through a large corridor populated with several Froggits, who were seeming unconcerned with Frisk's presence, croaking all the while.

As they passed into the room after that, Frisk remarked on how little trouble they were being given now. At this, Chara piped up- "*They were talking to each other, they know you can't understand them yourself… They were speaking about how nice a person you were to Whimsun Frisk."

She looked at him with a lopsided smile. "*Seems you're making a few friends today, huh?" Chara said happily. Frisk responded with calm, contented look.

"Only because you're helping me, Chara" Frisk pointed out, giving his own lopsided smile. "We make a great team!" he chirped.

"*Don't we just, partner." Chara answered, a pleased tone to her voice.

The next room had a series of doorways; one was closed at the far end, which they assumed was the exit. The others all had downward staircases, and were all brightly lit with torches.

"*The ruins are getting better in condition as we make our way through them. I bet we're close to Mom's house now!" Chara commented excitedly.

They spotted another engraved plaque on the left wall, not far from the entrance. Chara read the words out to Frisk: "*'There is only one switch'" She said evenly. "*I'm guessing then that means one of these doorways takes us to the switch that opens the locked door over there" She waved at the far end of the room.

Frisk moved to the centre, and began counting the doors, deciding which one to go through. He gave up shortly though, and shrugged. "May as well just start with the first door" He reasoned.

With a nod- which was quickly becoming an art of communication between the two- they moved through first left-hand door.

-X-

They entered a small, relatively featureless chamber, save for a lit torch, a small pile of red-leaves and a small pink ribbon in the centre of the floor.

' _Where are they getting in from'_ Frisk pondered about the leaves. Ignoring them, he looked for the switch. Upon finding no such contraption, he turned back to Chara, who was intently gazing at the ribbon on the floor.

Noticing his staring, Chara spoke- "*Hey Frisk, maybe if you wear this ribbon, it'll make you cuter! Then any mean monsters might not want to hurt you so much" She jibed with a toothy-grin, amusement on her face.

Frisk responded with a dull-stare, but proceeded to pick up the dusty piece of fabric anyway.

No sooner than he did so, than a scratchy, high pitched voice cried out from the doorway they had come through. A small, round, lime-green monster no larger than a soccer-ball stood on thin legs before them.

It had equally thin arms and small horns growing out of its head, and had a wide mouth, adorned with large fangs. The distinguishing feature about this fellow though, was his large, blue solitary-eye, which glared at Frisk angrily.

"What do you think you're doing big-guy? I found that first, it's mine!" screeched the little monster. It ran at Frisk and jumped up, reaching for the ribbon he held in his hand. Frisk held his hand high out of its reach automatically.

"*What a piece of work this guy is! You had it first!" said Chara, annoyed. "*Why, I bet if you kicked him in his stupid little face, he'd bounce around like a little football! That'd show him…" Chara remarked menacingly, upset at the disputed ownership of the little ribbon.

Frisk shook his head, frowning. It was meant for Chara, disagreeing with her 'suggestion'. The little monster however, could not see Chara, and thought the look was directed at him.

"You think you're so tough, picking on me because I'm so small compared to you! Have a taste of this-!" The little monster shrieked, incensed at Frisk's behaviour, and began gnashing its teeth and leering for the boy's leg.

Frisk paced quickly around the room as the cycloptic monster chased him, it driven toward taking a bite out of his leg. "H-hey! Stop that! Please stop!" cried Frisk. "If I give you the ribbon, will you stop?!" Frisk wailed, desperate.

At this, the little monster stopped in its tracks and huffed. It glared at Frisk as he slowly lowered his hands, giving the creature the coveted ribbon, which it snatched away.

It turned with its back turned to Frisk, grunting. "You big people, always lording it over me with your long arms and-and… height! What makes you think you can pick on the little guy!" The creature muttered loudly.

"*…Maybe if you cheer him up a little bit, you know- bring yourself down to his level so you're not 'picking on him'…" Chara remarked slowly, raising her hands into mock-apostrophes as she spoke. "*If you do that, maybe you'll get that chip off his shoulder?" Chara concluded optimistically.

Frisk thought on this idea- the little guy certainly did seem to feel bullied by people taller than itself. He knelt and leaned forward toward the cyclops, an encouraging smile on his face.

"Sorry about all that, mister. What's your name? I'm Frisk!" Frisk held his hand out hopefully.

The monster turned around, and glared intensely at the offered hand. Frisk wavered nervously. "*Let's hope he doesn't bite your hand…" Chara, supportive as usual.

It leered threateningly, but eventually took Frisk's outstretched hand, and shook it. "Loox. The name's Loox." It spoke, calming down.

Frisk smiled steadily. "Hello mister Loox. I didn't mean to take your ribbon. I was just looking for the switch to let us through into the next chamber of the ruins."

At Frisk's friendly voice, Loox deflated from its angry posture, almost tired from all the anger. "I-it's not mine. I just saw you holding onto it and got mad that you could hold it so high…" Loox spoke in a defeated, quiet voice. It dropped the ribbon to the floor.

Frisk put his hands on where he supposed Loox's shoulders were, in an attempt at a comforting gesture. "Don't worry mister Loox, where I come from, I'm the little guy that gets picked on or ignored. I know how it feels" Frisk spoke reassuringly.

"You do?" Loox mumbled. Frisk nodded solemnly.

"But there's something you can do that they can't, all the way up the clouds…" This time, Frisk smirked mischievously. Loox responded with his own look of mischief.

"You can pull all the best pranks, you can run rings round their legs, and they won't ever be able to catch you!" Frisk said excitedly, not quite finished. Loox stared, starry-eyed.

"Best of all? I bet they're jealous, not being able to find the coolest secret places, being so big. They can't hide like we can, and they're _definitely_ no better than us!" Frisk concluded, almost booming out his encouragement, arms out-wide.

"…" Loox just stared at Frisk in wonder. The boy, running out of steam, let his arms fall back to his sides and looked back at Loox, breathing heavily after his excitement.

"*You continue to surprise me Frisk" Chara spoke quietly from the corner. Frisk felt a pleased grin work its way onto his face.

Loox meanwhile grabbed one of Frisk's hands, still laid on the ground. He picked it up, and shook it vigorously. "Thank you Frisk! I won't forget this!" Loox said excitedly. The little cyclops ran through the door and up the stairway. Frisk and Chara could hear the distant echo of "Little guys rule!" coming down from above.

Frisk, feeling accomplished, stood up and jumped with joy, throwing his arm up to the air. "*Nice one again Frisk, you'll have an army of little critters for friends at this rate" Chara commented with a big smile.

They shared a cheerful laugh, Frisk picking up and pocketing the pink ribbon which had been the source of the altercation in the first place. Chara followed his hands as he did this, but said nothing. With nothing more to do in the room, they pressed on.

-X-

The next stairway the children went through took them to the chamber with the switch, to their relief. Frisk flicked it, and the returned to the room above to find the exit-door open.

They proceeded through to large room with three pillars, three brightly coloured levers attached to each, and a set of tall metal spikes blocking the way through to the next room. Chara read the plaque adorning the wall close to the entrance for Frisk.

"*'The far door is not an exit. It simply marks a rotation in perspective'. Wonder what that means." She spoke thoughtfully. Frisk merely shrugged, and moved to pull the levers.

After pulling the first lever, the spikes lowered, and they headed through nonplussed. The next room revealed the messages' meaning however- for all intents and purposes, it was the same room they had left!

Frisk pulled the seemingly identical blue switch from behind the first pillar, and the next set of spikes sank into the ground. Chara paused as they made their way into the next chamber. Frisk stopped when he noticed she had stopped. She was scowling, deep in thought.

"*Wait Frisk, if I'm right… you want to pull the lever furthest from the door we'll be coming through next." At Frisk's raised eyebrow, she elaborated- "*We're going around in a circle, and the sign said it was a mirror in perspective… so that' what we should do" Chara said, a touch of uncertainty in her voice. Frisk noticed this.

"Are you sure Chara?" He asked. Chara nodded with a half-hearted smirk.

"*I'm positive". Frisk gave a quick smile, and they proceeded through the doorway into the next room.

Their expectations fulfilled at seeing what appeared to be the same room again, Frisk heeded Chara's suggestion, trusting her, and pulled the red lever closest to the spikes. As the barbs fell in response, he turned to Chara with a smile, who herself had a cheeky grin for a response.

The next room followed in the expected manner, the two proceeding through it with ease.

Four was the last in the series of doppelganger-rooms, Frisk and Chara moving into a cooler, draughtier corridor. They could see the soft-orange light of the underground pervading through the next exit, which upon their approach they found actually led to the outside. Had they made it through the ruins?

Frisk peered through the perpetual night, and saw what looked like a large house in the distance, the path from the exit of the ruins leading up to it. The windows of the house were lit. Had they found Toriel at last? She would be so proud!

Happy with their teamwork, their newfound but strengthening friendship the children shared a grin, one rosy-cheeked and the other dirty but determined, as they passed out into the underground, heading for the lights of the house.

-X-

EDIT 30/11/2015: Always embarassed to read through my own work... had a glimpse at a couple of the lines after their encounter with Napstablook and it read a little incoherently. I fixed it- If there's anything else please let me know!

 **A/N:** With that, the latest chapter is done! Thank you very much for all the follows and favourites guys! A big thanks especially to 'allen Vth' and 'StarCre8tion' for their lovely reviews!

So… Milestone huh? Toriel's house next! What did you think of the chapter? Was it good, okay? Was it terrible, something wrong with the writing or worse? Please leave me any comments and criticism if you have any! Thank you for reading!

The next chapter could come either tomorrow-ish… or at latest, Wednesday. Things to take care of over here!


	6. Home

Chapter Six – Home

-X-

The children strode slowly along the light, silty path, toward the house. The labyrinthine ruins behind them, an atmosphere of what sounded like whispers, bearing evidence to the dispersed community of monsters within.

Frisk, glanced back at it, a weary smile working its way onto his dirty face. He was content, he and Chara had, through thick and thin made it through the ruins with nary a scratch to tell for it. It filled his heart with joy at the adventure.

Despite his initial reluctance, Chara had urged him into it, and he hadn't regretted it. He was sure Toriel would be proud of his brave accomplishment. Not that Frisk had been alone.

He looked to his friend with a joyous gleam in his eye- he was glad she was here, and had stuck with him. She was gazing around the expansive cave with calm interest, the excited smile from earlier matching his own. He made to do the same, and returned his sight to scenery.

Frisk could just make out the actual ceiling now- sharp stalactites he could see hanging between the twinkling orange glitter, giving them a dull-brown appearance. Some of the glowing lights were on the spears themselves, glistening as he walked. Gemstones.

' _We really are deep underground'_ Frisk thought with muted realisation. It did not bother him so much, but he did wonder how the monsters down here lived without the light and life of the sun.

' _Perhaps because they never knew it'_ Frisk realised, a needle of sorrow working its way into his heart, his smile, wavering.

Trying to push the saddening thought to the back of his mind, he continued looking around the serene environment. They were approaching what appeared to be a large, leafless, deciduous tree in the centre of the path, halfway between the house and the ruins.

In the rusty light of the underground, the bark of its trunk and branches was as black as pitch. At the base of the tree there was a large pile of familiar looking leaves, deposited about the circumference of the trunk. It was tidy, for leaves; they seemed to have been pushed into an almost perfect circle around the tree.

"*I always wondered how the trees down here grew. It seems the light of this place means that any leaves that grow fall right off" Chara explained ponderously.

Frisk's eyebrow raised. "Then how does it live at all?" He asked back, uncertain.

"*I wouldn't know. One of those mysteries" Chara said, her shoulders raised in a shrug.

The children stopped under the tree, Frisk looking right up at it. He could hardly see the branches against the dim, sparkling backdrop.

Chara spoke up suddenly, a slightly smug lilt to her voice. "*Told you we'd make it here before mom would come back" Chara pointed toward the house.

Toriel had emerged from the large doorway of their nearby destination and was walking hurriedly along the path. Frisk noticed from her distant expression that she had not noticed him yet. Before he called out to her, Chara pulled on his arm, whispering urgently, a mischievous grin stretching her rosy cheeks.

"*Frisk, let's surprise her! Hide behind the tree, wait till she walks past and then- boo!" Chara rasped excitedly, a gleam in her brown-red eyes.

Frisk was a little conflicted about it, uncertain if Toriel would take to the little joke. But the temptation of pulling a prank was too hard to ignore for the boy, a small cheeky smile to challenge Chara's working its way onto his face. He nodded.

Chara's smile widened, and she pulled him by his hand behind the tree, onto the leaf-pile and out of the motherly-monster's sight.

As Toriel made her way past the tree, the children could hear her muttering to herself in self-condemnation. "Oh dear-oh dear, that took much too long! I hope he's alright, if he stayed there he'll have been alright Toriel… Oh I shouldn't have taken so long!"

Frisk gave a guilty start at the worry in Toriel's voice. _'I'm fine though! Nothing to worry about!'_ He thought. Chara saw his look and gave his arm an assuring squeeze, her grin becoming toothy.

Toriel had just passed by them both, so intent on where she was walking that she did not notice Frisk crouched down not two paces from her.

"*Now!" Chara whispered impatiently, letting go of his arm. Frisk jumped up, and snuck up behind Toriel. She still didn't notice.

He was within arms-reach of her purple robe when he chirped loudly, the sound of it echoing around the cavern- "Boo!" Frisk, widely smiling giggled as Toriel whirled around and stared down at him, open-mouthed in shock.

"My child-Frisk! What are you-! How did you-!" The suddenness of the situation left the kindly monster speechless. Frisk's happy expression fell slightly.

"I-I made my way through the ruins mom! It was so cool! There were a few monsters, but I made friends with them! Just ask-" Frisk's puffed-up, proud posture deflated as he had almost mentioned _Chara_. If what she had said and his assumptions were true, mentioning her name around Toriel was probably a bad idea.

Chara herself had moved from the tree to Frisk's left, one hand on her hip as she watched them both with a crooked smile. Her prank seemed to have worked perfectly, Toriel was still gobsmacked.

Toriel quickly shook herself out of her reverie and reached down to Frisk, wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug. "I'm glad you're okay my child, but don't do that to me again! You could have been hurt! All by yourself… I should never have left you." Toriel spoke softly, gently chiding Frisk and herself.

From his place between Toriel's arms, Frisk turned his head to glance at Chara, her smile becoming forced with the element of yearning appearing on it. Once she noticed Frisk looking however, she winked, her lopsided smile returning full-force.

Frisk finally returned the hug. "I'm sorry mom, I just wanted to show you I could be brave, strong…" he muttered. Toriel unclasped herself from him and just looked at him with as relieved an expression she could muster on her draconic face.

"I _know_ you're brave Frisk, the moment I saw you I knew you had a strength about you. You remind me of… Never mind. You made it through the ruins alone, but you didn't need to do that to prove it to me." Toriel's reassuring voice stopped, she looked worried about something that Frisk could not figure out, but he felt himself bolstered by her words. Who did he remind her of?

She straightened up, and held her hand out for him with a tired, lopsided smile. "Okay, Frisk. Let me show you to your new home." Toriel spoke with a thinly veiled anxiety. Frisk nodded happily.

They began moving toward the house. Whilst he was sure Toriel wasn't looking, Frisk glanced at Chara, who was slowly following them, and beckoned slightly with his free hand.

The girl's face stretched with a smile as she caught up with them, and walked by their side through the doors of the house.

-X-

The trio entered the warm, well-lit house slowly. Toriel let go of Frisk's hand, turned to face him and backed away, watching him with an anxious smile. "Welcome to your new home!" she exclaimed.

Frisk meanwhile was looking around with wide eyes full of wonder. It was neither too big nor too small to his childish tastes. The wall were painted with a creamy yellow, straight wooden-floorboards, unvarnished, instead of a carpet, giving the house a warm glow. Small electric lights hung at 10 pace intervals throughout the corridor, with plain, cream lampshades.

To his right, there was a long corridor with three closed doors that he could see, small wooden tables next to each entrance accompanied by vases with exotic red and yellow flowers. He could just make out a large mirror on the wall after the last door.

To his left, a short passageway led into what looked like a living room, a large wooden table and chairs sat near the left wall, a large potted-plant sat atop it. There were two large-cosy reading-chairs sat facing each other in front of a decorated fireplace, a roaring fire burning away within it.

There were bookshelves filled to the brim with multi-coloured volumes on all walls excluding the one with the table. Stacks of gardening tools were laid against the bare wall. A closed wooden door, just to finish the appearance, led to a room he already wanted to explore.

To Frisk's eyes and experience, it already appeared as if he had entered a forbidden realm of absolute cosiness, and could almost not believe what he was seeing.

Then Frisk turned his gaze in front of him.

A large downward-staircase, with two more of the small wooden tables either side it sat before him. One table had another vase with the exotic red-yellow flowers in it, the other had a calendar above it, turned to a month that Frisk could not identify with his illiteracy.

The staircase drew his attention though. It led into what could only be described as a dark, yawning abyss. Frisk shivered at the slow, cool draught emanating from it.

"Ah, don't worry about the stairs Frisk. You don't want to be going down there!" Toriel spoke up suddenly and quickly. She swiftly changed the topic. "Do you like it? I thought I might celebrate your arrival by cleaning up… an old room for you to stay in!" Toriel stuttered happily.

Frisk's mouth watered at what she said next. "I was about to start baking a nice, cinnamon-butterscotch pie, when I left the house to come and get you… but you'd already made it most of the way here. You are a surprising one, aren't you my child?" Toriel beamed at him. Frisk flushed at the praise.

Toriel turned and moved toward the long corridor with the three doors. "Come here Frisk! I want to show you your new room!" She called.

Frisk glanced to make sure Chara was still with him. She had moved alongside him and was gazing at the staircase with an unreadable expression. Upon hearing Toriel's voice however, she looked up and smiled, gesturing at Frisk to follow. He happily obliged.

-X-

Frisk entered the small room after Toriel, the look of wonder never leaving his face. Like the rest of the house, the room had a wooden floor and cream-coloured walls. A tall-lamp with a red shade filled the room with soft, rose light. A large zig-zag patterned red-rug sat in the centre.

There was a small wooden wardrobe next to a medium-sized single bed, fitted with dark red and brown stripy sheets. A small set of bookshelves stood next to the wardrobe, containing what appeared to be a variety of children's books. Two floor-chests painted in bright yellow and green, one smaller than the other sat at the foot of the bed. One was opened, a collection of toys within it.

Another doorway sat opposite the bed, which Frisk could see contained a small lavatory and sink- he gave a quiet sigh of relief at this.

Frisk turned to Toriel, gaping. "Do you like it, my child?" Toriel asked him, softly this time. Frisk responded by rushing toward her and hugging her as tight as he could.

Toriel smiled and sighed in relief, patting him on his shoulder. After several moments of Frisk clinging to her, she gently pried his arms away, looking him in the eye.

"Why don't you explore? This is your new home after all! Just-" Her comforting words were interrupted by something, her eyes looking away from him.

"Just don't go down the stairs near the front door. Okay" She asked him, and he nodded.

Toriel got up and moved through the door, she stopped and turned around before was out of sight, speaking with a smile. "Frisk, if you need me I'll be in the kitchen. It's through the living room you saw earlier." Her smile became wider, knowing. "I'm going to bake that pie I promised".

Frisk nodded eagerly. "Thank you so much m-mom!" he exclaimed, the unfamiliar word still catching in his throat. Toriel smiled again, and continued moving out of sight.

-X-

Chara had entered the bedroom shortly after Toriel had left. She froze at seeing the furniture, an unsure look on her face. Frisk understood her surprise to be recognition, remembering what she had said about her past.

"*Not quite how I remember it, but this is definitely the same room…" she mused out loud, quietly.

"You lived in this house, Chara?" Frisk asked, interested. Chara shook her head slowly.

"*When I got here, mom, dad and… the rest of the monsters were getting ready to move further into the underground." She moved over to the bed and sat in the middle of it. Frisk noticed that her weight had slightly depressed it, or had it been his own imagination?

"*I stayed here at most a couple of days, before we all moved down that staircase you saw near the entrance, and into the wider underground, looker for more room for all the monsters" Chara explained, making a downward motion with her hands.

"Why does mom not want me to go down there? Because all the other monsters are down there? Where's… dad?" Frisk asked the last part hesitantly, puzzled.

Chara shrugged, and shook her head… sadly? "*I don't know. The last thing I remember before I woke up with you down here, Toriel was still at New Home".

"'New Home'?" Frisk pronounced quizzically. Chara nodded with a dull expression.

"*Yeah that's what mister dad-guy called it. Big fuzzball… I hope he's alright…" Chara frowned as she said this.

At her sudden introversion, Frisk decided to have a more thorough look around his room. He opened the wardrobe to find various shirts, sweaters and pants in a size just a little too small for him. Most of the sweaters had green and yellow stripes, like Chara.

Frisk smiled at this. Perhaps if they were a bit bigger, he could wear one too! He dismissed the thought as he looked at the bottom of the wardrobe to see a pile of drawing paper, messy pictures scrawled on them in crayon. Three figures were drawn on the topmost sheet, and he took a closer look.

One of the awkward figure he recognised as Toriel- it seemed her clothing choices did not vary-much, giving her identity away. The second figure looked similar to Toriel, only it was much bulkier, bearded and had large cartoonish horns adorning its head. _'Is that…dad?'_ Frisk thought.

The third figure appeared to be a smaller version of the previous two, and seemed to be wearing one of the green and yellow sweaters that were in the wardrobe, similarly to Chara. The figure had very small horns and a small smile.

Frisk looked up to ask Chara about this, but she appeared to be brooding deeply about something. He resolved to ask her later about it instead.

Frisk looked over the assortment of different children's books and the empty photo-frames on the bookshelves. _'Maybe when Chara is feeling better tonight, we could read one! Well… she would read, I would listen'_ He thought wistfully.

Watching her still lost in her thoughts, Frisk had an idea. He remembered the pink ribbon he had pocketed after making friends with Loox, and brought it out of his pocket, a small, determined smile on his face.

Frisk made his way over to the bed and sat next to Chara, who glanced once, then twice when she saw what he was about to try and do.

"*Frisk, what…?" her question was interrupted as he reached up to the back of her head, and delicately took some of her hair into her hands. She twitched, as if to stop him, but allowed him to gingerly tie a bow with the ribbon into her hair.

Frisk arose from the bed and looked at her, pleased. He had managed to get it right! He thought she looked even more girly now that she had a pink ribbon to accompany her pink rosy cheeks! A look of satisfaction graced his features as he grinned.

Chara looked bemused. "*Erm… thank you, Frisk?" She said with an awkward smile rising on her face. Frisk responded by beaming at her, mission accomplished.

This time, now that Chara was shaken out of her reverie she watched as Frisk approached the foot of the bed. He reached into the open toybox and pulled out a small action-figure.

Seeing this, Chara shifted to the front of the bed and looked into the toybox excited, surprising Frisk.

"*Look at all these cool toys!" Chara exclaimed with a childish grin. She looked up at Frisk and her face fell, seeing his raised eyebrow. "*They don't interest _you_ at all though, do they?" Frisk shook his head gravely.

"*Whatever. Let's look around then, mom told us we were allowed…" Chara spoke with a goading tone.

"Okay" Frisk said happily, dropping the toy back into the box. The children left the room and turned left, walking to the end of the corridor.

The door at the end was locked, and had a hastily-written note on it that Chara read out as saying "*'Room under renovations'". They both shrugged at this and instead focused their attention on the large mirror.

Frisk looked at himself with a wonky smile. His face was a little dirty, and his dark-brown eyes stared back at him through his messy chin-length hair. It didn't quite frame his face as well as Chara's did, and his face was a little broader, but he thought he looked very similar to her.

He couldn't see Chara in the mirror, even though she was stood right next to him.

"*It's you!" She exclaimed, and then proceeded to ruffle his hair vigorously with her hand, grinning widely all the while. Frisk whined in complaint at the gesture until she stopped, giggling to herself. She didn't seem to notice her absence in the mirror, or she didn't care.

Frisk thought this as quite disheartening; he didn't want his friend to be so…uncaring about it. About only wanting him to see her. He resolved then and there to someday find a way so Chara could see herself in the mirror once again. Whilst the how escaped him, he felt determined, and knew he would try as hard as he could for his partner.

-X-

 **A/N:** And there's the latest chapter. It's a bit shorter than the previous two, but I felt this scene was the best place to split it from the next. The mirror scene(s!) always struck me quite deeply; it's one of the things that led me to believing at an in-universe level… it's quite plausible isn't it? Ergo it's one of the things I had in mind when I started to write this story.

Anyway, a big thanks to 'allen Vth' and 'Guest' (I really wish you had a profile so I could thank you personally!) for their lovely reviews, and those that favorited and followed! Like always, if I could ask that if there is anything you feel needs criticising throughout this, please leave me a comment/review and tell me!

The next chapter will be out at the earliest on late Wednesday- got work to do! See you till then!


	7. Butterscotch

Chapter Seven – Butterscotch

-X-

After some extra-silly mirror-face antics, eliciting many a giggle from the two children, Frisk and Chara continued to explore Toriel's home.

As they slowly walked through the corridor, Frisk had been looking sidelong to his ghostly friend, hoping she wouldn't notice. Chara didn't seem to notice, keeping her gaze forward as she looked around with mild interest at the place she once knew.

Frisk wanted to know how to save her, return her to corporeality so she would be able to know other people again, not just himself and the occasional errant ghost.

' _But maybe this is what she wants?'_ Frisk thought to himself, his expression falling slightly, melancholy. Maybe this tied into why Chara was like this in the first place, and why, on the surface at least, appeared undaunted by it.

He opened his mouth to voice the question. "Chara… Why did... why are you…"

Frisk couldn't find the breath, the gumption within him to finish his query. Chara turned and tilted her head so she could look at him, puzzled.

"*What's up Frisk?" Chara asked slowly but not unkindly, the smile from earlier still gracing her lips.

They approached the second door of the corridor. "Nothing" Frisk said quickly, shoving it away for a time he had the nerve. Chara raised her eyebrow at the exclamation and his dismissal, but said nothing.

Frisk, intent on leaving the subject he had nary begun as well as he could, made to open the door. Chara was hesitant to enter, knowing the bedroom's owner, but followed the boy in anyway.

This bedroom was slightly larger than his, containing a similar en-suite arrangement. The room was bathed in pale-blue light from two small lamps with blue lampshades. The wall had been painted similarly to his room, and empty picture-frames hung from it.

He peeled his eyes from them, dimly wondering why they were empty, before happening across a multitude of large, flowering branched-cacti in pots on the wooden floor. "*Ah the cactus, truly pretty to look at, but never to touch" Chara piped up by his side, following his eyes.

Shaking his head with a smile, Frisk turned to look at the rest of the room. A large set of filled bookshelves dominated the wall next to a large double-bed. The sheets on the bed were the same purple of Toriel's robes, and were quilted. He felt his eyes droop just looking at them.

Plain-looking sets of drawers sat on the opposite wall to the bed, and out of childish curiosity, Frisk grasped the handles of a drawer and opened, despite Chara's noise of disgruntlement. It was just socks; very _large_ socks, but just socks.

"*You done looking through people's sock-drawers Frisk? How scandalous…" Chara huffed, nose upturned and tutting.

Frisk didn't know what the word 'scandalous' meant, but ducked his head in shame and moved away from the drawers, feeling unwelcome. He walked up to the object that had interested him the most about the room.

The desk was set high, the surface came up to his eye-level, so he clambered onto a large cushioned chair in order to see what was on it. Stacks of papers, filled with what he thought must be neat cursive, and a worn opened leather-backed diary with less neatly written passages. He picked up the diary carefully and brought it down with him to show Chara.

"*Looking through mom's diary now Frisk?" Chara spoke with mock-disappointment. Frisk retracted his arms from showing the pages at these words, ashamed once-again. Chara grasped his arm gently, stopping him.

"*You've brought it down now, we may as well take a sneak-peek…!" Chara said conspiratorially, eyes narrowed in mischief. Frisk shook his head rapidly.

"N-no! You just said not to-!" his frantic whispering was cut short by Chara tugging the diary out of his grip, turning to a page.

Before Frisk could be more surprised by the how and what she had just done, Chara had begun slowly reading out a passage.

"*Why did the skeleton want a friend?" She paused, frowning. "*Because she was feeling _bonely_ " she finished with a sound of disgust.

Frisk couldn't contain a giggle at the bad pun; he hadn't thought Toriel would have too much patience for jokes like that.

"Are there any more?" He asked. Chara responded by pulling an incredulous expression, but brought the journal to her eyes once again. She shook her head dismissively after a few seconds, handing the diary back to him.

"*They're all filled with 'jokes' of a similar calibre. You've heard one and you've heard them all" Chara stated derisively. Frisk just looked at her, disappointed.

"Aww come on! Read one more!" He pleaded. Chara maintained her stance, frowning and shaking her head.

"*There can't be anything better. She used to tell absolute-crackers back when we… when we…" Chara's voice became distant, as did her gaze. She quickly recovered. "*I'm not reading you more garbage puns!" She snapped finally.

Frisk reeled back in slight shock. He watched as she turned on her heel and exited the room, closing the issue. _'Something about what she stopped herself saying there…?'_ Frisk mused. He re-climbed the chair, noticing with a snort the badge affixed to the cushion, 'Chariel', before returning the diary where he had found it.

-X-

Exiting out of the room, Frisk tried to bury the question building in his thoughts, moving up beside Chara whom had waited in the corridor for him.

Frisk stared at her frowning, downturned face. He began to speak, an apology on his lips, before Chara beat him to it with a raised hand.

"*Sorry about that back there Frisk, I just needed to get away from that room." Chara mumbled in a defeated tone. Left unsaid was just how much she had missed it, her yearning masked through her teeth.

Frisk nodded calmly, his features set in an awkward smile. "It's alright Chara, there's nothing to apologise for" he reassured her. Chara looked up at his words, breaking out into an awkward smile of her own.

Frisk's smile became devilish. "I'll just ask mom for more jokes later then" Frisk purred cheekily. Chara's expression fell once again in mock-outrage.

"*You're the worst" She spat, folding her arms tightly. Frisk just grinned at her, and she rolled her eyes.

The scent of something baking caught both their nostrils, the girl and boy perking up, the past moments temporarily forgotten.

"*Smells like… cinnamon? Butterscotch?" Chara murmured. Frisk just nodded his head, only knowing that something nice was cooking.

"*Let's go to the kitchen and find out what she's made Frisk!" Chara exclaimed excitedly, her prior broodiness overruled by the prospect of something tasty. Frisk nodded vigorously in response, moving with an energy through the corridor, past the creepy staircase and through the living room into a small kitchen.

The kitchen was filled as one might expect, furnished with an assortment of worksurfaces doubled as crockery-cupboards and shelves, a fridge, a sink, an oven and saucepans hanging from hooks on the wall. To Frisk's surprise, there was an activated extraction-fan above the oven, humming as it drew the air thick with the scent of Toriel's cooking out.

"Ah Frisk! I have finished baking a butterscotch-cinnamon pie for you to eat!" Toriel spoke up cheerily from next to the oven. She was wearing pink oven-gloves, and carrying a large dish which she tilted toward Frisk, allowing him to see the delicious-looking pastry within.

"*Not quite chocolate, but it'll do" Chara chirped from beside him, fixated on the pie. Frisk's look of wonder only increased with his partners' words.

"Wow, thanks mom!" Frisk said brightly. Toriel's eyes softened at this and smiled happily. Frisk's belly then rumbled quite audibly, causing him to flush and eliciting some muffled snickering from Chara.

Toriel placed the pie down on the worksurface next to the oven. "I shall go and set the table for us both, then it should have cooled down enough for us to eat!" She beamed at him, Frisk nodded eagerly back.

The children moved out of Toriel's way as she moved back into the sitting-room. Frisk, unable to resist the temptation approached the still-steaming pie and lightly prodded it, receiving a burnt finger for his trouble.

"*It may smell nice, but it's still too hot to even touch" Chara remarked, her own hand hovering slightly above the pastry. Frisk nodded in agreement, how were they going to eat it in a couple of minutes with it being this hot?

Frisk turned to the oven, noticing that it was absolutely spotless, as if brand-new. "Why is it so clean if she's just finished cooking?" He mused to Chara quietly.

"*She uses fire-magic. Remember when she saved you from that mean flower near where you fell down here?" Chara responded nonchalantly, more interested in the pie.

Frisk remembered. It was as if she had thrown a firework over his head, though he had merely glimpsed it. _'Perhaps what she uses for cooking is a lot less…violent'_ Frisk supposed.

Curiosity at the heart of his nature, Frisk looked around the kitchen with interest, approaching the sink. He spotted something white in the drain. Hair, Toriel's fur.

Chara had moved over to look at what Frisk was gawking at. "*It must have just come off when she was washing-up. Not that big a deal when you're covered in the stuff like mom is" She reassured with a raised-eyebrow. Frisk breathed in deeply and nodded, relieved that Toriel was okay.

He then moved to the fridge, opening it to a well-stocked display of many tubs of… Frisk's nose wrinkled in disgust. _'Are they…snails?'_ He thought with trepidation. Frisk turned to ask Chara about this, but was unable as she had become fixated with _glee_ upon an item at the forefront of one of the shelves.

"*A chocolate-bar?! Frisk! I-I... _Need_ this! I haven't tasted chocolate in…forever!" Chara pleaded with him, her words closer to the truth than most would have thought, coming from a child.

Frisk shook his head, eyebrow raised, and spoke quietly so Toriel wouldn't hear him from the next room. "No Chara! Didn't you tell me it was wrong earlier to take too many of those _free_ sweets? This isn't free!" He rasped. Chara's pleading expression became more intense, her hand clasping together uncharacteristically.

"*You still took them, despite what I said!" Chara exclaimed. Her face then shifted from begging to a more impish expression. "*If you're becoming part of her family, it's not stealing is it? Please Frisk…" Chara beseeched once again, trailing off.

He gave in, slightly ashamed. He would do this for Chara though. He looked around quickly to ensure that Toriel wasn't there and looking, then grabbed it and shoved it into his pocket. He then turned to Chara with a dull look. She looked pleased. "*Thanks Frisk" she said, satisfied. They would worry about repercussions, and whether Chara could actually eat it later.

"Frisk! You can come and sit down now!" Frisk jumped at the sound of Toriel's call, Chara snorting at his reaction. He walked through the threshold of the kitchen, shaking his head.

-X-

Toriel was stood behind a pulled-out chair next to the table, inviting Frisk over to sit in it. As he moved to do so, Chara tried squeezing onto a bigger chair to his right, but failing to do so as the space was too narrow. Quickly, Frisk moved beside her and pulled out the chair slightly, not so much that Toriel would notice but enough that Chara could sit on it.

With a smile and whispered "*Thanks!" the two children sat before the table waiting for Toriel to bring through their prize.

Toriel whisked through back into the living room pie in hand, setting it nearer her side of the table, humming a musical tune that Frisk did not recognise.

Toriel then brought a patterned wedge-cutter that was laid out on top of the table and sliced out two large pieces of the pie, placing a piece on two ceramic plates for herself and Frisk. As she handed a plate to the boy, her other hand wavered over it for a second. To Frisk's surprise, it glowed pale-blue.

At Frisk's look, Toriel elaborated- "I am merely using a bit of ice magic to cool down the pie for you to eat my child" She explained. Frisk set his mouth in an 'O', and then dug in messily with the provided cutlery once she had set it down.

"*Oh you're going to love her lessons on table manners Frisk" piped up Chara, leaning her head on her hands and watching him eat. Frisk glanced apologetically at Chara, then at Toriel, who was chuckling quietly to herself at the scene, eating at a more sedate pace.

"You like the pie then?" asked Toriel, a hopeful tone to her question. Frisk nodded so vigorously crumbs that had dropped onto his chin flew onto the table, his toothy smile also filled with pie.

Chara's face pulled into one of bemused disgust, scoffing at the scene. Toriel merely smiled, one eyebrow raised at his antics. Frisk shrank down into his chair at the mess he had made.

"We're going to have to sort out your table manners in the future my child. But for now, enjoy it, I see you were _very_ hungry" Toriel chided lightly. Chara raised her arms and made a triumphant sound. Frisk merely nodded, slowly this time and with his mouth closed.

As Frisk tucked into his second-helpings, Toriel spoke from behind her hands, gaze set forward and her elbows resting on the table. "You know… I'm really glad to have someone here now. It's been rather lonely here by myself, with only the monsters from the ruins for company." She spoke with such a tired, sorrowful tone, that Frisk stopped eating and paid her his full attention.

"There are so many old books I want to share…" Toriel intoned, waving her hand half-heartedly at the bookshelves around. "I want to show you my favourite bug-spot by the ruins, I want to keep you safe and watch you grow up." She continued, turning her half-smiling expression to his. Frisk remained silent.

"Did you know I wanted to be a teacher? I memorised and prepared a school curriculum for whenever the chance arose…" She paused, sighing greatly. "Whenever the chance arose that I could return, teach someone. Someone like you, my child." She finished, smiling hopefully at him.

"Return where, mom?" Frisk asked, taken aback at what she had said. At his question however Toriel seemed to freeze, her eyes widening slightly.

"Never mind Frisk, you're here now and that's all that matters". She said quickly, the sternest voice Frisk had heard from her. Had he been out of line?

Toriel smiled at him kindly once again though, and Frisk felt himself put at ease. Chara made a sound of discomfort from her side of the table, and upon his glance he saw her looking at him with a raised eyebrow once again. She nodded once, slowly.

"Thank you, mom" Frisk finally uttered, turning back and smiling slightly at Toriel. She seemed pleased by what he said, the tension leaving her shoulders as she relaxed back into her chair.

The rest of the meal went by quietly, Frisk noticing Chara's unhappiness at being unable to get a piece for herself, pouting. Toriel had brought over a formal-looking book from one of the bookshelves, and was reading it with mild interest as Frisk finished his pie slice.

As he finished, he felt the fatigue over the day's events wash over him, exacerbated by his full belly. Toriel noticed this and spoke up.

"Would you like to go to bed now my child? It is rather late…" Toriel asked, trailing off with a lopsided smile. Briefly wondering how she knew that with the seemingly perpetual twilight outside, Frisk nodded, wiping his hand over his eyes at the sleep there. He couldn't tell if Chara was tired yet or not.

At his thoughts of Chara, Frisk had a quick idea. "Is it okay if I could take a slice of your nice pie with me to bed? You know, in case I get hungry" he finished his question rather lamely. Toriel's eyebrows both raised to his question, one side of her mouth quirking up.

"Of course Frisk! You must really have been hungry…" Toriel quipped, cutting out another slice of pie and setting it on his plate. He looked to Chara pointedly, to which she responded with a mouthed 'thank-you'.

Once Toriel had finished, the trio got up from their seats and moved to and through the corridor to Frisk's new room.

-X-

Toriel waited for Frisk to be done in the bathroom, and then tucked him into the bed after he had changed into slightly too-large pyjamas.

"Sweet-dreams, Frisk. I will see you tomorrow" Toriel spoke softly, wiping her clawed thumb over his forehead affectionately. At this, Frisk leaned up suddenly and hugged her from his sitting position.

Toriel smiled even deeper at this. "Thank you my child, goodnight" She whispered, got up and exited, closing the door.

With the light still on, Frisk leaned up to watch Chara as she dug in greedily to the pie with her hands, her past diatribe about table-manners forgotten. They had found that whilst she could not pick up the plate, she could pick up the pie.

Chara had mentioned something about it- "*Maybe because there's magic in it", but neither she nor Frisk paid it much mind.

As she ate, Frisk noticed that Toriel had accidentally left the book she had been reading earlier on the bedside-table. He picked it up with vague interest, and turned to a page. Whilst he could not read the words, he could see the pictures at the very least.

The first picture was a drawing, and looked like something he might have expected to see on a movie poster or comic book. On it were two groups of silhouetted people facing each other; on the left was what looked like an army of humans brandishing armour and swords, with a long-haired man at the head raising his weapon.

The group on the right were a multitude of different shapes, and instead of brandishing swords or armour were flourishing sharp claws and teeth. Except for their leading-figure, who was human-shaped and bulky, cloaked and most noticeably had large sharp horns, wielding a long and vicious-looking trident. The whole scene was a battlefield, Frisk realised. Was it a storybook?

Frisk turned the book around and faced the drawing toward Chara, who was finishing up her pie-slice. She looked up and squinted at the page. "*Hey that looks like dad! Wait…" She trailed off.

Chara got up from where she was sat, bringing the plate of pie with her, sat down next to Frisk on the bed and took the book off him.

"*'A history of the war between monsters and man-kind" Chara read out, scowling at the words. Frisk gasped in shock.

"There was a war?" He asked Chara. She nodded gravely.

"*It's the whole reason they're down here and not up there with the humans" Chara explained, stressing on the word 'humans' with gritted teeth. "*They were trapped down here against their will, by _us_ , and here they live in peace, but not happiness" she continued, now wistful, the pie forgotten.

"Why did we have to fight?" Frisk asked very quietly, as if he didn't want to know the answer. Chara thought for a moment, and then shook her head, frowning.

"*I don't remember the reason. Greed? Power? All I remember is that they were trapped behind a barrier that anyone can enter in from, but cannot get out. Except for those with a human soul, like you." Chara finished relating this with a sigh, one last thing left to say.

"*That means the monsters cannot go free without something to break the barrier." Chara then looked at the floor, lost in thought.

Frisk was astounded that such kind souls like Toriel and the other monsters he had met were trapped because of his people. What kind of cruel reason would they have to do such a thing? There were all the monsters beyond the ruins he had yet to meet, and they were all trapped too…

A worm of fear worked its way into Frisk's heart then. Would they hate him for it? Would they see him, and see their jailors? Would they hurt him for it?

' _Is this the reason Chara is actually dead?'_ Frisk thought with a shock, sitting up and gazing at Chara intensely.

"How can the barrier be broken?"

Frisk's words seemed to enrage Chara, she straightened up from where she was sat and opened her mouth to say something- …and then deflated, whatever ire she had spent before it could alight.

She looked Frisk in the eye with a tired stare. "*The monsters would need seven human souls, whereas we would just need ourselves."

Frisk felt his jaw lock, he didn't know what to say. He merely stared back at Chara, knowing what her words truly meant between the lines.

If such a nice, loving people were to be free, truly happy, then he'd have to die.

"Is…Is that the only way to free them?" Frisk stuttered in trepidation. Chara nodded slowly.

"*I would know, we tried… Me and my friend." Chara bit her lip at the words, Frisk's eyes widened at what she revealed.

-O-

" _*Listen, -, you can do this. I trust you." Racking coughs. Blood on her hands._

" _But Chara, I'm… I don't think I can do this alone! Not without you!"_

 _Another cough, weaker this time._

" _*I_ _ **know**_ _you can, I believe in you." A muffled sob behind small, furred claws._

" _*You know I'll be with you, you won't be completely alone. You can free them all"_

 _A shake of the head, long ears flapping from side to side, quivering._

" _Not like this._ _ **Never**_ _like this!" Another sob. A wet, painful chuckle._

" _It's the only way -…"_

 _Her voice petered out. As did her breathing._

 _-_ O-

Chara grabbed Frisk's hand tightly. "*We tried so hard, and we found only one way… but something must have gone wrong, I don't remember. All I know is that we did it and now I'm down here with you. Dead." She finished, her tone bereft of weight and letting go of his hand with a sigh.

Frisk, surprised but not disheartened made to disagree with her. "There _has_ to be another way Chara! I…" He stopped, thinking on what he wanted to say, another promise building within his chest. He looked at her then with a hard stare.

"I want to free them, and _nobody_ will die!"

Chara looked as if she was about to retort, and then looked him in the eye. He was far more determined about this than she had ever seen him, and was more spirited than either she or her friend had been. She remembered how well he had fared in the ruins.

They didn't have this last time. Maybe Frisk, with her help…

She slowly began to match his stare, glaring back at him. He faltered whilst her expression became firm, grinning strongly.

"*I'll hold you to that, partner. We'll have a long way to go, and it probably means leaving behind this home" Chara reminded him.

His intensity faltered somewhat, but he stayed resolute. "If it means we can save her, save _them_ , I can… I can manage." Frisk insisted.

Chara shook her head slowly, her hair and the pink ribbon tied in it moving in tandem. "*Tomorrow. Think over whether this is what you really want". Chara said seriously. "*I mean, you just got here, and you haven't really had this kind of thing before right?"

This time it was Frisk's turn to shake his head, his eyes averted to the bed. He really had wished for something like this, a mother for as long as he could remember.

Chara could see her words had made him think. "*Sleep on it, and if you really want to go that far to save them… we'll talk about it tomorrow, right?" She said in as kind a voice she could muster. Frisk nodded, heavy with the topic, and gave her a half-smile.

"Thank you Chara" Frisk said evenly. Chara nodded, a lopsided smile gracing her face.

"*…Before you do go to sleep though… could you put one of the pillows down at this end? I'll sleep down here" Chara asked awkwardly, pointing at the foot of the bed.

Frisk blinked. He then grabbed one of his pillows and clambered over to the end of the sheets, placing the pillow against the footboard. He raised the duvet so that she could get in, and then laid them over her as she got comfortable.

As he got back into his side of the bed, he heard a muffled voice- "*Goodnight Frisk". He smiled, and softly replied with "Goodnight Chara" as he turned out the bedside light and they set off to the land of slumber.

-X-

EDIT (like an hour after publishing): Just noticed it hadn't broken the flashback up properly. Stupid formatting.

 **A/N:** I'm back! This isn't quite where I wanted to end it, but the chapter was getting kind of long, and it seemed like a good place to break it up anyway. Let me know what you think! I bet you can guess what's coming next…

A big thank you to 'Jusmove', 'Zypheriel' and 'allen Vth' for their lovely reviews, and to those who favorited and followed! If you find any flaws with the chapter, please leave me a comment, I desperately want to improve!

The next chapter should be out either tomorrow or the day after (leaning toward the latter, other work to do). See you next time!


	8. Mother

Chapter Eight – Mother

-X-

-O-

 _She had been running._

 _Running for her life._

 _Running from Them._

 _She tripped, not looking where she was going._

 _Not that she cared, as long as it took her away from Them._

 _Falling._

 _And then she was not._

 _A drumbeat, so loud that all could hear it._

 _The scent of buttercups, golden flowers._

 _A boy's voice._

 _White feet._

" _*…Chara"_

" _My name is –"_

-O-

-X-

Chara woke up with a start, gasping for breath, scrambling to no avail, trying to escape the covers. Frisk, disturbed from his slumber by her distress, thrashed out, entangling them both in the bedsheets.

Suffice to say that both children ended up on the hard wooden floor for their troubles.

"Are… Are you alright Chara?!" Frisk, not quite fully-awake, babbled in concern for his friend. Chara was face-first on the ground, whimpering softly.

Frisk leaned upward and reached toward his partner, hand outstretched, clasping over her shoulder firmly. She was cold beneath his touch. Not that he had expected anything else from the dead.

The dead. Frisk shuddered at the thought, then remembered that all it had meant to him down here was a friend. He squeezed his hand over her shoulder.

Chara leaned upward off the floor with one hand, the other reaching to Frisk's hand, covering it.

"*Sorry Frisk, just a nightmare" Chara intoned. Frisk shook his head with enough force to shake them both.

"That was _some_ nightmare, to make you panic like that. Are you alright Chara?" Frisk repeated his earlier question, worry apparent across his features.

Chara turned to him and flashed a half-hearted smile. "*Don't worry about it, I was just… Remembering how I got here" she explained with a sigh. She righted herself on the floor, clutching her legs to her chest, arms wrapped tightly around them. Frisk simply sat there staring, bringing his arm back to lean on.

"Did you fall in, like I did?" Frisk pressed, gently. He wondered how she had come to be down here in the first place. Chara remained silent.

"I was just looking for someplace to stay…" He revealed, murmuring, hoping this would ease her into opening up over her nightmare. "…I think I was pulled in, by my legs. Like a rope had been tied around them and-" Frisk's increasingly excited story was interrupted by Chara.

"*I ran away." Chara said softly. "*I ran away from home, that's how I came here." She raised her head from behind her legs and looked at him tiredly, saying no more, lips pressed together tightly.

Frisk nodded slowly, his lips slightly parted. He wasn't going to push her anymore if she didn't want to talk about it.

He moved toward her, meaning to hug her for comfort, thinking she needed it more than words. He stopped at the sound of the bedroom door slowly clicking open.

Toriel's head emerged from behind the doorframe, the light from the corridor spilling into the room. She cooed with dismay at the tangled mess Frisk was in on the floor, ignorant of Chara next to him.

"Are you alright my child? Did you have a bad dream?" She moved toward him, her furred hand on his arm.

"I…" Frisk choked up, remembering everything he and Chara had talked about last night, what he had to do. He settled for nodding briskly. That conversation could wait for the moment.

Toriel sighed, wrapping her arms around Frisk, picking him up and carrying him back to the bed. She said nothing as she replaced the bedsheets, re-tucking him back in.

"It was just that, Frisk. A bad dream, they cannot hurt you. Remember that I am here, and you are safe. I…" Toriel spoke gently, such a talk familiar to her. She brushed her hand over his forehead, and smiled.

"Try to get back to sleep, it is not long until morning. Think of the nice day ahead!" Toriel said happily. Frisk gulped guiltily. She did not notice.

Toriel walked out the room once more, favouring Frisk with one last smile before exiting and closing the door.

"*You've made your decision then." Chara stated bluntly, sat on the floor where they had left her. She seemed to have recovered somewhat, and had noticed Frisk's trepidation where Toriel had not.

Frisk nodded at her slowly, and motioned her back toward the bed. "I want to help them, they deserve it" Frisk whispered, resolute. Chara sighed softly, rising from the floor and getting back into the bed where Frisk had raised the sheets, getting comfortable once again.

' _*How can he be so certain, despite having only been here such a short time? He really is something else'_ mused Chara. She smiled her crooked smile at him.

"*Thanks Frisk" she said after settling down. He nodded, and they left it at that.

-X-

The next morning, after turning down the offer of snail pie, Frisk ate cereal from a bowl at the table, Toriel having left for the ruins to collect 'groceries'.

' _How can anyone want to eat snails?'_ thought Frisk with disgust. He had asked Chara about it, but she had just shrugged and said "*They're a delicacy down here". Frisk had been horrified when she related enjoying Toriel's 'slug sorbet', remarking that they expanded thrice their size when frozen.

After she had said this, all straight-faced, she couldn't contain bursting out in laughter at Frisk's mortification. Despite his disgust, Frisk was inwardly pleased at seeing Chara happy once-again after the tumultuous night.

Frisk continued to eat his 'astronaut flakes', a strange brand of cornflakes with a cartoon spaceman on the box that Toriel had provided for him. Whilst she was gone, he had managed to procure a second bowl for Chara, who was wolfing them down with her hands, unable to manipulate the cutlery.

"…I'm going to tell her when she gets back" Frisk spoke up, shattering the silence. Chara looked up at him, expressionless.

"*And how are you going to do that? If you say something like 'I want to save you all', or 'I want to break the barrier', she's not going to buy it. She'll probably brush you off and ask what fantasy stories you've been reading" Chara spoke with an inquisitorial tone. She had abandoned her cornflakes, and watched him intently, waiting for his answer.

"I… I don't know. Why wouldn't she accept that reason?" Frisk murmured, unsure with Chara's sudden criticism.

"*Because you're still a kid, Frisk!" Chara chided gently, her eyebrows raised. "*Try to put yourself in their shoes. If a kid came up to you and talked about 'saving the world', they'd pat you on the head, thinking you're making up stories. Mom doesn't know that you actually _know_ ". Chara's words were alluding to something, and Frisk scowled attempting to interpret it.

"So what are you saying I should do instead?" Frisk asked cautiously, head turned slightly away from her, almost afraid of her answer.

Chara's look became grim. "I'm saying you should instead talk about wanting to go back to the surface. How you don't like it here. She's much more likely to believe that than heroics" Chara said slowly, ensuring he heard it all.

Frisk closed his eyes, sighing. How could he lie like this? "But I actually _do_ like it down here Chara, and I'm sure mom knows that too. What if she doesn't believe me? What if she doesn't let me?" Frisk relayed his concerns, upset.

Chara remained blunt. "*It's the only way it'll work. Say you hate it down here if you have to. _If_ you want to save them, like I did." She grimaced slightly, hoping he wouldn't notice. She was twisting the metaphorical knife, so to speak, but she wanted him to be sure. Either way this was going to hurt him.

He remained silent for several moments, his cereal also forgotten. Chara remained watching him the whole time.

Then he nodded slightly, almost as if defeated. "I'll do it, if it's the only way."

Chara smiled gently, her rosy cheeks creasing with the expression. "*I'll still be here Frisk, no matter how it goes. Not as if I can do much else" She jibed. He smiled half-heartedly in response.

They continued with their breakfast at a more sedate pace, and waited.

-X-

Toriel entered the living room, a bucket of writhing snails under one arm, the other holding on a sack of groceries. She was humming a happy tune, content.

Once she saw Frisk standing in her way to the kitchen, she stopped, asking him what the matter was.

Everything she was holding, from her groceries for him, to her smile of contentment dropped to the floor with what he said to her.

"W-what did you just say my child?" Toriel asked, hoping beyond hope against what she had just heard. Frisk's firm gaze faltered, but he remained at his spot, hands clasped to his sides.

"I said I'd like to return to the surface, mom. I… I want you to come with me." Frisk repeated, quavering. Chara's firm hand dug into his shoulder, and he almost grimaced at the pressure. He was glad she was supporting him, guiding him.

Toriel just stood there, staring at him. Her mouth, which was hanging open at his declaration, quivered as if she didn't know what to say. Indeed she didn't.

She tried to deflect the question. "Are you sure you wouldn't like to play outside Frisk? I'll make you a nice warm soup! Then we can read a book together! I've got an awfully good one about snails…" Toriel babbled, indirectly begging anyone who was listening that what he had just said was just her imagination.

It wasn't.

Frisk shook his head slowly. "Toriel, I'd like to go back." He spoke softly, but his words hit her as if he'd bellowed into her face, shrieking like a harpy.

There was only one thing she could think to do.

"…St…Stay here Frisk. There's something I need to do. When I return, I'll talk to you about going home". Toriel spoke, her voice laced with emotion. She would not falter any more before him.

She spun around and marched toward the entrance hall, her groceries forgotten on the floor. Frisk merely stood there, guilt rooting him to the spot. He saw her grasp the handrail of the dark staircase, and descend down it out of sight.

Tears leaked out of his eyes at the unbridled upset welling within him. Chara let go of his shoulder and placed herself in front of him, grasping his arms and forcing him to look into his eyes.

"*You did okay Frisk, you did okay!" Chara said reassuringly. Frisk felt anything but reassured.

"This is it isn't it? I…I…" Frisk was hiccoughing with sobs, unable to finish what he was saying, his determination spent.

Chara responded by throwing her arms around him and hugging him as tightly as she could. Her sardonic demeanour all but dissipated, she had to be there for him now.

Frisk felt himself relaxing in her embrace. The worm of loathing that had been growing within him at her pushing dissipated. They stood there for a little while.

"*We're almost there, okay? Remember, we're going to save them all, then they can all be happy! Maybe you could live with her on the surface, beneath the sun! Stay focussed!" Chara whispered firmly into his ear, her cool breath puffing through his hair.

Frisk felt himself strengthen at her words. He would not be able to do this alone. He set the ultimate goal in his mind, seeing Toriel, himself and Chara, all happy. He could do this.

He pushed open Chara's embrace, arms still shaking, and his cheeks still damp. He grasped her hand and squeezed. She squeezed back.

"*We need to follow after her, Frisk. That staircase is the only way I know through to the rest of the underground, and the way to the barrier" Chara reminded him. Frisk nodded, the last vestiges of a sob escaping with his deep breath.

Chara coaxed him forward, leading him by the hand toward the corridor until he found his own two feet. Before long they were side-by-side walking down the stairs, the yawning darkness enveloping them both.

-X-

It was so very dark down here. For all intents and purposes, it was a simple, carved, grey stone tunnel. The floor was smooth, as if worn away by something, or many somethings. Frisk was glad, as the low light filtering through down the staircase was insufficient to reveal any obstacles.

His grasp on Chara's hand tightened, and they slowly pressed forward.

It was then that they could hear a muffled voice coming from down the tunnel. A woman's voice. Toriel's. She sounded almost angry.

"…going to destroy it…no-one will leave again…" Toriel's voice echoed in the distance. Chara's pace hastened, and Frisk found himself struggling to keep up.

"*Quickly Frisk! If she destroys the tunnel, we'll be stuck here!" Chara rasped urgently. Frisk felt a vague panic rising in his chest at her words.

They ended up all-but running through the tunnel, energised at the prospect of their goal being forever out of reach.

The warren twisted and turned, Chara ended up leading them into the wall a couple of times, resulting in bruised chins and knees as they collided with the hard stone of the tunnel. But, after several minutes of stop-start running, the light ahead began to grow.

Frisk almost started to believe they had somehow been turned around during their journey, but as they approached the beacon within the darkness, the figure holding onto it was unmistakeable.

'Holding' being the wrong word to use perhaps.

' _How is she controlling such a big ball of fire?'_ Frisk wondered, the trepidation building within him at the spectacle before him.

Toriel slowly turned around at the noise of his arrival, a stern, grim frown on her face. The light from the fireball above her outstretched palm was defining her facial features in an eerie manner. Her horns seemed sharper, her fangs longer. She was anything but the soft and caring mother right now. At this moment, she was something…more.

She was stood in front of a huge set of stone doors, the winged, triple-triangle crest he had seen before adorning it. The double-doors were opened slightly, darkness beyond it.

Toriel spoke with a regal tone. "Why can't you understand Frisk? You would be safe and grow up happily here. I will destroy this passage so you cannot leave." Toriel revealed evenly. Frisk gasped.

"B-but what if I don't want to stay down here forever?! I want… I want us to go the surface!" Frisk pleaded, stopping himself before he said more, remembering Chara's warning. His partner stood next to him, resolute.

Toriel grimaced at his words, her lips curling and her teeth revealed, making for a terrifying visage. "I won't warn you again Frisk, do not try to stop me." She scolded, glaring at him. Frisk felt himself shrink.

' _How can I do this? I feel so small next to her! I can't-'_ Frisk's train of thought was cut-off by Chara, who stepped forward, making sure to let go of his hand so Toriel would not notice.

"*She's just trying to intimidate you Frisk. She may know what's best… But we're going to save her. Save them all. Don't let her scare you." Chara said firmly, recounting their shared goal like a mantra. She had realised what Toriel's words were doing to his resolve.

Frisk felt himself strengthen. He shook his head. "Mom, I won't let you do this. I need to go through. I need to… I need to get back to the surface" Frisk spoke strongly, ensuring with all his will to maintain eye-contact with Toriel.

At his words, silence pervaded for several moments. Toriel let out a huge, shuddering sigh. She looked at him sadly, half-lidded eyes stern. "You are just like the others."

Frisk felt a stab of shock at this, and saw it have a similar effect on Chara. He sustained his gaze on Toriel however, he could wonder over what she meant later.

He was shaken out of his pondering by Toriel angling her arm holding the fireball toward him. Toriel harrumphed. "I want you to prove to me you can stand up for yourself. They couldn't. The other humans, they were all killed beyond this door." Toriel spoke with a low voice.

Whilst he realised she may have been twisting the words in an attempt to still dissuade him, his fear of Toriel grew with each passing second. His only thought of solace was that Chara seemed equally surprised. He bet the 'other humans' didn't have her. Despite himself, he smiled.

Toriel grimaced again at the look on his face, and continued. "Prove to me you can survive, and fight me".

Now Frisk was scared. He didn't want to fight her. He didn't want to fight anyone. "W-wait! Mom!" Frisk cried with fright. Toriel didn't seem to hear him.

The fireball above her outstretched seemed to blaze with more intensity, and then, suddenly, it launched itself at blistering velocity. Straight toward him. He couldn't move.

"*Frisk!" cried Chara. He felt an almighty shove from his side as he was thrown to the ground, the fireball sailing harmlessly past where he had been stood. He looked to see Chara, unharmed, breathing heavily.

"*I can't do that all the time Frisk, I… that took a lot of my energy!" Chara spoke quickly. Frisk could see the evidence of her words, she was shaking as if she was barely able to stand. He nodded quickly at her in thanks.

Looking quickly at Toriel, her face unchanged, Frisk arose from the floor and leaned forward, ready this time for what she might send toward him.

"Mom! Why can't you just let me through! Why don't you come with me? I want to get to the surface, and we can live happily up there!" Frisk tried pleading with her again. Toriel responded merely by shaking her head, and sending another swift fireball conjured out of thin air toward him.

He managed to dodge it this time, rolling forward. He felt its heat singe the hairs on the back of his neck, and he quickly placed his hand there to assess the damage. It had been close.

Toriel just stood there, staring at him, aloof.

"*I don't think talking will be the solution here Frisk. I think… you'll either have to do what she wants and fight her." Chara spoke from the side, breathlessly. Frisk instinctively shook his head.

"I won't do it! I won't fight!" cried Frisk, shaking. Chara just stared, at a loss.

"*I… Just keep dodging her attacks then! Either she'll stop, or you'll have to fight her!" Chara exclaimed, watching worriedly.

"She _will_ stop, I just know it!" Frisk whispered to himself. Toriel, ignorant of the dilemma, waved both her hands in front of her, and a multitude of brightly glowing embers shot toward him haphazardly.

This time, Frisk was unable to dodge them all. He screamed at the impact of several embers across his body, burning.

' _It hurts!'_ His mind was a haze of pain. Toriel and Chara both gasped at his condition, the former standing there faltering, the latter running toward him.

His clothes had been singed slightly, the light purple of his sweater exhibiting two scorch marks over his chest, and one over the right knee of his ragged denim jeans. He skin was welted bright red underneath the scorches where he had been burnt.

Chara's hand on his face brought him back to reality. "*Frisk! You have to stay focussed! You can do this!" Chara whispered into his ear. Frisk shook his head.

"I don't… I don't know if I…" Frisk whimpered. Chara quickly looked up to Toriel to ensure she wasn't going to attack again. Her furred head was drooped, looking at the floor in front of her feet, unable to watch.

"*Frisk, I'm certain if you just keep it up, Toriel won't want to fight anymore. You're doing a great job, you just need to stand!" Chara urged him, grasping his shoulders and forcing him to his feet with all the energy she could muster. She was glad Toriel wasn't watching to see him arise without supporting himself, not wanting to raise questions.

Frisk steadied himself with the help of his partner, and he grasped her arm in support, giving it a squeeze. He didn't look at her face, knowing it would hold confidence. He whimpered again, but stood tall, and moved closer to Toriel.

Toriel noticed, and looked up to see his pained expression. "What are you doing? Stop looking at me like that!" She demanded.

Toriel raised her hands to send another volley of fire. This time however, it was poorly aimed, Frisk did not even have to move to dodge them.

The kindly monster wiped across her face with the back of her arm, hiding the vestiges of tears. "If you're not going to fight me, run away! Go back to your room!" Toriel exclaimed, sending a large fireball to his feet. The blast of air pressure and heat knocked Frisk off of his feet, and he yelled out.

Coughing, he arose to his feet lethargically, his gaze more determined than he felt. He edged closer than he had stood previously, hoping his point would now get across to Toriel.

Meanwhile, Toriel's hands were shaking with the effort of attacking the boy against her better will. She never wanted to hurt him, why couldn't he see that?

"Please… go upstairs now Frisk." She asked, looking at him, her lip quavering. Frisk shook his head slowly.

"But… we can be happy together! I will take good care of you here! I know it's not much to look at, but you'll be safe!" Toriel pleaded with him now, upset pulling at her tone. Frisk merely stood there, his own lip quivering.

The stand-off continued for some time, Frisk refusing to back down, a supportive hand on his shoulder unbeknownst to Toriel, who was smiling at him imploringly.

Chara whispered softly. "*We can do this Frisk." She said simply. The boy's mouth set more firmly at her words. She gave a small smile in response, looking back to Toriel.

As if in defeat, Toriel began to laugh. It was a mournful chuckle, bereft of any mirth, and she closed her eyes, tears creeping out from under her eyelids.

"…It's funny, isn't it? I can't even seem to save one child." Toriel spoke quietly, no evidence of emotion on her voice. She suddenly wiped furiously at her face, vainly attempting to remove the tears.

"I understand. You would be unhappy trapped down here. There is not much to do… and it gets rather lonely…" Frisk had to stop himself from shaking his head at Toriel's words, remaining silent with all of his will.

Toriel gave a huge, shuddering sigh, and smiled for the first time since Frisk had told her what he planned. It was sad, but a smile nonetheless.

"If you want to leave, I will no longer try to stop you. It was unfair to try and keep you here against your will. I will put aside my fears, my aspirations and loneliness now for you, Frisk… I only hope that you can stay safe up there…" Toriel spoke softly.

It was then that Frisk could no longer contain himself. He closed the distance between them and threw himself at her, hugging her tightly. She hugged him back, twice as tight. Chara stood to the side, watching.

They collectively mourned what was being lost here, in the name of a future good, not yet perceived.

-X-

Several minutes of Toriel and Frisk's shared embrace went by before they unclasped. Toriel made to look him in the eyes, he could not resist.

"When you get up there, there is someone I want you to seek. A friend of mine, but I do not know his name, you understand. I know he has a brother named Papyrus… and that he tells the funniest jokes I've ever heard" Toriel smiled wistfully at this, and Chara scoffed despite herself. Frisk merely smiled back, his eyes red with sorrow.

"…And Frisk… when you get up there, if I could ask… that you do not come back. I hope you understand. Maybe we will meet again someday, but not here" Toriel's voice got quieter as she said this, and quickly hugged Frisk again before he could respond.

"Goodbye, my child." Toriel said one last time, before she arose and slowly paced away, not looking back.

"Goodbye, mom…" Frisk whispered to himself. Toriel stopped momentarily, and Frisk thought she must have heard it, but she continued on into the dark a second later. Two more after that, and she was swallowed by the abyss.

Little did Frisk know that would be the last time he saw her for a very long time.

-X-

"Thank you, Chara" Frisk murmured to the air. His partner approached him and kneeled down in front of him, at the same level.

"*I'm sorry Frisk. I… It will all be worth it in the end." Chara spoke hopefully, a brave smile adorning her rosy-face. At this, Frisk felt a smile return to his visage, a spark of happiness in the sudden vacuum of his heart.

"Thank you Chara, for being with me through that. I know what we're doing is for the greater good, and we will see her again, I just… Don't think I could have done that alone. Thank you." Frisk reiterated, staring at her softly.

Chara favoured him with a determined, but lopsided smile, and held her hand out for him. She tilted her head in questioning, her brown hair, fitted with the pink ribbon Frisk had tied in it fluttering with the motion.

"*What do you say Frisk? Let's go and free these people." Chara stated, smile never leaving her face. Frisk felt the strength return to him, and he arose, determined. He grasped onto Chara's hand and pulled her to her feet.

They didn't let go as they walked through the door they had fought so hard to exit through.

-X-

 **A/N:** And cut. Again, it's not ended where I wanted it to, but 4360 words is a hell of a read for anyone, so I've broken it from the next part.

These scenes were exceptionally difficult for me to write, so I hope they're actually enjoyable to read and make sense. If you could please leave me a comment telling me about any errors, or if it's just straight up terrible, I would greatly appreciate it!

Thanks to the two guests for their comments on the last chapter, and to those who followed and favorited.

The next chapter… hee hee… We get to meet some of our favourite characters. I can't wait to meet them! See you until then! (The next chapter will be out either late tomorrow or Sunday)


	9. Footsteps

Chapter Nine – Footsteps

-X-

Pain.

He had never felt so much pain. Never in his short life.

Frisk struggled to keep himself from poking and rubbing at his stinging burns, Chara had already batted his wandering hand from them.

"*Don't poke them or you'll make them worse!" She had said. It was still all he had to leave them be.

The two children had been walking through this ominous dark tunnel for several minutes. Frisk had expected Toriel to be trying to cave-in the actual exit, and not just one door. Needless to say, their shared trepidation was making the two increasingly irritable.

"Chara, do you remember how long it is until we leave the tunnel?" Frisk asked for the umpteenth time. The girl's face, previously a confident smile, had been replaced by one of consternation.

"*I don't know Frisk! All I remember is there was another door, and then we were outside again!" Chara said, whining. She hadn't remembered it being _this_ long!

The only thing stopping Frisk from believing this was all some elaborate prank was the presence of a dim light far ahead. It certainly didn't look like the outside from where he stood, but he would take what he could get, in-pain and upset as he was.

He resolved to remain silent lest he irritate his partner further, already she seemed to now be gritting her teeth, dragging him along by the hand.

After what had seemed like an eternity, the light seemed to get _bigger_ \- it had not become brighter, but the tunnel had widened as such that more of it spread across his vision. He felt his own pace quicken of its own accord, and now he was the one leading Chara along.

She did not comment on his sudden speed.

She _did_ at when he suddenly stopped.

"*What's the holdup Frisk? We're nearly there, I'm sure of…" Her question, laced with a hopefulness, was dashed when she followed his gaze.

The tunnel had widened to the point where they could no longer see the walls, another large, decorated door ahead. There was a dim light shining from an indeterminate point from above, brightening the chamber with a dull, grey tone. They had made it!

The flower. It had returned, and was sat in the ground in front of the door. It was _glaring_ at Frisk.

Its small black eyes seemed to narrow, Frisk felt as if its gaze could pierce right through him, for it surely felt as if it was doing that right now.

A distant, drumming noise, which sounded almost like… clapping? Chara looked around quickly to try and unveil where it was coming from. There was something big moving around in the darkness.

She shuddered, and squeezed Frisk's hand, determined to be there for him. He hadn't broken his staring contest with the flower.

The flower's sharp grimace was replaced by a knowing grin.

"Very, very clever Frisk. Well done for making it all the way to here without hurting a soul! However did you do it! ..." Flowey's voice was shrill with a mocking disparagement, writhing its head around as if trying to lever its way out of the ground.

"H-How did…You get-" Frisk's shivering question was drowned out by Flowey's next speech, having ignored Frisk.

"Except… You _did_ hurt someone, didn't you? You could have had it all! You could have stayed with _her_ and grown old and fat without a care in the world! …But you didn't" Flowey's face became grotesque, familiar looking fangs growing out of its mouth, its eyes black.

" _You'd rather pursue a pipe-dream instead of making the one person to show you love down here happy._ " Flowey's voice was judging, mocking, His macabre visage contorted into the vestiges of what one might call a smile.

Frisk felt the guilt gnaw at him once again, the wound still fresh in his soul. He sorely wished he could have stayed… and why did Flowey call his plan a pipe-dream? How did he even know about it?

' _Has he been watching us? If he has… then…'_ Frisk's thoughts bubbled out of his mouth in a slight whisper. "Oh no…" Frisk felt his bottom lip quiver, he squeezed his hand holding Chara's. He wished he could close his eyes too.

But he wouldn't take his gaze off this truly abhorrent _monster_ in front of him.

Flowey continued its tirade, seemingly ignorant of its effect on Frisk. "That aside! You refused to fight anybody, and look where it got you! You got _hurt_." Flowey's face seemed to return to normal. In its place was one seemingly of concern.

"It's much worse out there, you know. In here it was small-time critters who don't want to hurt anyone anyway." Flowey's even voice became more grating and sinister with his next words, his smile became a toothy grin.

" _Beyond this door_ _, they're out for human blood_." Flowey then laughed, shrill and loud. It echoed about the chamber, ringing in the children's ears. Frisk felt his legs shake with fear.

Chara turned to Frisk, the motion causing Frisk to break his gaze from the malevolent flower and face her.

"*He's just trying to scare you. Remember, I'm here, and that person mom told us about!" Chara's voice was a lifeline for the boy, and he stared, lost in her eyes, red in this light.

Flowey had stopped laughing and cocked its head, staring at Frisk, who was to an outside observer, staring hopefully into space. The flower chuckled low, with no hint of mirth.

"Of course, even though they want to capture humans like you out there, that's not going to stop your pacifistic shtick, is it?" Flowey's voice was childlike, full of mock-concern as it was before. His statement caused both children to slowly turn to him, faces full of determination.

Frisk stepped toward Flowey, his hand dislodged from Chara's, and clenched at his side. Flowey smiled, almost… hopeful?

"It's not going to stop me! _You_ won't stop me! I _will_ save them, and nobody will be hurt anymore!" Frisk cried, his resolve ebbing away under Flowey's gaze. The boy let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. Behind him, Chara smirked with pride.

This statement, to the children's shock, just evoked another laugh from the little flower, its face was bent-forward, soft, piteous.

Then it peered up at them from where it leaned. "Of course it won't stop you. You're very determined… or so I thought" Flowey's tone became menacing once again.

This time it had morphed its head into something out of a nightmare, huge teeth, and glowing white eyes. Frisk recalled it doing this when it tried to kill him just after he fallen down.

What he said next shocked Frisk to the core.

" _For I know your 'secret' weapon."_ Flowey spoke through its gargantuan teeth. Frisk shook his head, panicking.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" He babbled. Flowey _had_ been spying on them! What was it going to do?

"My dear friend _Chara!_ " Flowey's face had returned to a somewhat normal size, and had assumed a familiar shape. Frisk thought it looked like Toriel's face.

He heard Chara breathe in sharply behind him, and Frisk could not help but turn to glance at her, his shock overturned by his sudden curiosity.

Flowey's voice became more soft, no evidence of the previous malevolence in it. To Frisk's surprise, it seemed mournful. "She _is_ here after all! It's been too long, I knew I could trust you! …"

This time Chara gasped. "*No… It can't be…" She was shaking her head as if it was a bad dream, her face stricken with disbelief. Frisk abandoned his caution, no longer needing to hide Chara's presence, for it was already known.

"Chara… do you know him?" Frisk asked quietly, trepidation apparent in his tone. Chara did not take her gaze off the flower, and did not answer him.

Flowey responded for her. "Of course she knows me! I'm her best friend!" Flowey's voice was _almost_ friendly. Until its face changed yet again, becoming grotesque once more.

"Chara. Could you educate Frisk into how this world works? _That it's still kill or be killed?"_ Flowey laughed once more, so loud that both children reflexively clasped their hands over their ears.

Then it was all quiet. Frisk peeked one eye open, unsure. He saw Flowey still sat there, merely smiling, no menace on its appearance whatsoever.

"He's going to need to know how." Flowey said evenly, and with an exaggerated wink, seemed to shrink into the ground, disappearing out of sight.

-X-

Silence pervaded the chamber. Chara dimly noted the movement beyond the veil of blackness had stopped once Flowey had left.

' _Flowey… funny…'_ Chara thought with a weak scoff. Her eyes were half-lidded, she couldn't believe what she had just seen. Despite her current situation, _this_ just took the cake.

How could he have become so twisted? Had… she done this to him? Chara couldn't remember.

Frisk approached her, standing mere inches in front of her face. He must have noticed the troubled expression on her face, because in spite of his burns, in spite of his confusion…

Even though he was the one who needed it the most, he still hugged her tightly.

She hiccoughed, trying to stave off tears. How could it have come to this?

Frisk felt his resolve rise as Chara's waned. He could be, _had_ to be strong for her now. She had been so supportive of him until now. It was his turn to take a shoulder.

"I don't know who or what Flowey is Chara, but remember what you said! We can do this together! We'll prove him wrong!" Frisk whispered, in front of her face, trying to see into her clouded eyes.

"*I… I don't know if I can, not before _him._ " Chara rasped back, turning her gaze to Frisk's, the light entering them.

"We can, and we'll prove it to him!" Frisk spoke more strongly this time, grasping her hand and tugging as he let go of her body and backed away.

He hissed as her dropped arm brushed over the burns on his chest. Chara quickly retracted her free hand in concern, snapping back to reality. She held her position, tightening her hand clasped in his, preventing him from moving away.

Chara felt she owed Frisk this much at least. She took a deep, shuddering breath.

"*Flowey… that's not his name. Or… it might be now, whatever he has become." Chara spoke quietly, searching Frisk's eyes for his reaction. He simply watched her intently, listening.

"*Asriel. That's what his name was before. He was the one who… we both tried to break the barrier. That's what it did to him, and this is what it did to me" Chara intoned, pointing to herself. Frisk listened, silent.

"*He was never like this before… I hope he doesn't try to stop us…" Chara's explanatory tone petered off, and she smiled weakly at Frisk.

She noticed that he was trembling slightly. Frisk was barely holding himself stood strong, drained as he was.

Then Frisk spoke, cutting off whatever Chara was going to say next. "Then we'll save him too, we'll show him! We can…! We…" Frisk couldn't finish what he was saying, his trembles becoming shaking, and then his legs gave out beneath him.

Chara leaped forward, and with great effort, caught him before he fell face-first onto the stone-floor.

They were both breathing heavily, leaning against each other. Chara chuckled, her shock abated to a numbness at the back of her head. They could do this.

"*You've convinced me, partner. But whoever said words are easiest knew what they were talking about!" Chara jibed, attempting to return the energy back to him.

Frisk laughed weakly, and then pushed on her strongly, using her as a support to get back onto his feet.

"*So, let's prove him wrong. Let's go, Frisk." Chara whispered into his ear, noticing how her words bolstered him.

They hobbled toward the exit, Frisk leaning on her, hissing every other step as his sores were irritated.

They both made a concerted effort to open the door, pulling with all their might. When it at last gave, it made an almighty sound, reverberating throughout the ground, as if to announce the brightness spilling in that now blinded them.

It sounded like a drumbeat on the skin of the world.

They didn't look back as they exited into the cold air of the underground. Nor did they look back when the door closed soundlessly behind them, the previous chapter of their shared journey now over.

-X-

It was freezing.

It was so cold, Frisk could hardly think. Which was not a surprise, for the ground was thick with powdery snow.

The children's staggered footprints dotted the whiteness behind them, all the way to the great door of the ruins. The door was set into what looked like an endless cliff; when Frisk had peered blearily upward, the stone extended to the stars.

Stars. This time, the glitter adorning the black sheet of the sky as a pale blue, twinkling down, bathing everything in a substantial glow. It was far brighter than the dull orange of the ruins, and looked like an ordinary moonlit night.

Except there was no moon, and they were still deep underground. Frisk sighed as they moved along the wide pathway, his breath coming out in thick rivulets of vapour, dancing round the two.

Chara neither seemed to produce any vapour, nor did she seem so cold, though she had shivered once or twice.

Around them, alongside the only path they could follow, were trees. So thin and so many the space between them was smaller than the trunks- they really only did have one way to go, almost like they were being funnelled.

The leafless branches were so high, and so tightly packed to the trunks, Frisk wasn't sure he had ever seen their kind before.

It was a dull thought compared to what occupied his mind at the moment, silent as the pair were as they moved.

Flowey. Asriel. Chara had known the latter, had said he was her best friend. Now he was Flowey, a monster who Frisk was sure had thinly-veiled intentions against them, no matter how his relationship with Chara might have once been.

For Chara, for everything she had done for him so far, was still doing… Frisk would do everything he could to save him and all free all the monsters. This was the mantra he had hammered into his mind, centrefold as it was to his intentions.

Frisk couldn't help but wonder though; why is he so malevolent now, when Chara said he had been so friendly before? Why was he now a flower, assuming he wasn't one before? Why was she a ghost?

Was she truly serious when she said their plan to break the barrier had failed, and it did _this_ to them?

What might happen to him?

Frisk shook his head to clear his thoughts. He realised he had his doubts, but would retain the faith and resolve he had placed within himself and Chara. He could do this.

This revelation in mind, Frisk felt the strength begin to return to his muscles. _'I can do this'_ He repeated in his head.

Chara let go of him as he began to walk under his own power once again, but squeezed his hand to make sure, looking at him with a concerned gaze.

He glanced at her and smiled as confidently as he could. She nodded, and smiled her rosy, lopsided smile.

 _-CRACK-_

And then his newfound strength sent him into the air, for he jumped at the sudden sound.

He closed the gap with Chara, and clung onto her green-striped sweater as he trembled with his sudden fright, the pain of the burns and the cold, temporarily forgotten.

Chara meanwhile had covered his hands with hers, and was peering around rapidly, trying to find the source of the noise.

Looking on the ground, she found a large tree-branch they had passed along the ground, the two not paying it much attention, inconsequential as it was.

Not anymore.

"*This branch… it's been smashed like it was nothing…" She whispered to the air. Frisk's fright waned, his tension leaving him, but he remained skittish.

"W-what did it, do you think? N-neither of us did it…" Frisk stuttered, his teeth chattering slightly with the chill.

Chara shrugged slightly. "*Who knows?" She said rhetorically, then turned to him, a light frown on her face.

"*Remember, aside from As…Flowey, and the ghosts, no-one knows I am here, right?" Chara said gently to him, stuttering over Flowey's name. Frisk nodded, sighing.

"Sorry Chara…" He whispered, plaintively. Chara shook her head, despairing, her pink ribbon fluttering behind her head.

"*Frisk, don't fret about it you worry-wart! Let's go, and remember I'm here!" Chara started off jibing, and then encouraging. Frisk smiled at her, his eyes half-lidded with the smile.

Frisk said nothing more, his fright over the branch forgotten. _'It was probably nothing'_ He told himself. He turned and continued trudging along the path, toward whatever destination may lay ahead.

Footsteps. His own, he counted. Chara's, he counted as well.

There was another.

He turned round swiftly to see Chara's back- she had noticed it too.

The pair of them looked around to see if there was anyone following them.

"*There's nothing but trees, and snow. I can't see anything." Chara whispered, then pointed to the snow from where they had come from.

"*There isn't even a third pair of footprints. You did hear that, right?" Chara asked Frisk quietly, uncertain. Frisk nodded slowly.

"*…Let's keep moving. Whoever's following us has to reveal themselves eventually. Then we can deal with them, right?" Chara slowly said, reasonably.

The last thing Frisk wanted to do was be snuck up onto from behind by whatever malign force was hunting him. Were he not reassured by the presence of Chara, he would have likely curled into a ball and cried until whatever it was came up and ate him.

As it was however, he pressed on, looking around warily. He scooped up some of the cold, wet snow from the ground and tenderly placed it under his sweater, hoping to alleviate the stinging from the burns caused by Toriel.

He immediately snapped his hand back out at the sensation, his eyes wide. Chara just giggled.

"*What were you expecting? For it to be nice?" Chara said sardonically. Frisk grimaced, glancing at her.

"I d-didn't expect it to be _that_ cold!" Frisk whispered, teeth starting to chatter once again. Chara scoffed.

"*It _is_ snow, Frisk. You'll be better once we find somewhere inside to keep warm and take care of the sores, right? Let's keep going." Chara drawled, ever encouraging of their goal. Frisk wiped his hands on his ragged jeans, and continued.

-X-

The silence seemed to become ominous as the children approached a wide, seemingly bottomless crevasse. It spanned the width of the path and a considerable distance into the impassable wood around them.

A comparatively-narrow wooden bridge crossed the crevasse where the middle of the path was; they could see the wide path continue on the other side.

The bridge was furnished with thick wooden supports, though they did not connect with anything but the pathway in the centre of the crossing.

Frisk and Chara soon arrived at the bridge, the former making the first step onto the wood with a thud.

Heavy footsteps.

Heavy footsteps right behind them.

He reached desperately behind him and grabbed Chara with his numb hands. She seemed to be frozen stock-still, just as he was.

Frisk couldn't muster up the will to turn around.

The footsteps were getting louder.

Louder.

They stopped right behind them.

" **Human.** "

Frisk couldn't breathe. He couldn't think.

Whatever was behind him had such an oppressive aura that it rooted him to the spot, sapping him of will to the point that he couldn't even think to fall to the ground and cry.

That would be braver than what he was currently doing, statuesque as he was.

" **Don't you know how to greet a new pal?** "

Its voice, if it could be called a _voice_ , seemed to speak inside Frisk's head. It bounced around, ringing throughout his mind, as if it was searching for something.

Then, suddenly, it stopped.

Frisk wasn't so unsure about what Flowey had said now. He didn't know what to do. He didn't want to be killed by this!

He squeezed Chara's hand, hoping that whatever it was breathing down his neck didn't notice. It took her a few seconds to squeeze back. Maybe it would be okay.

" **Turn around and shake my hand, human.** "

The voice insisted. Frisk felt compelled to obey, as if his heart was being tugged, and he nearly swivelled on the spot.

As he attempted to keep his balance, he felt his cognition return to him, and he looked at the ominous figure in front of him. It was shrouded in black, and stood just beside Chara, who was looking at it with wide eyes, her mouth slightly open.

Its skeletal hand was outstretched.

Frisk reached out to grasp it, trembling, unsure if it was the last thing he would ever do.

-X-

 **A/N:** C-c-c-cliffhanger! You all know somewhat generally what's going to happen anyway, right?

This was another difficult one for me to write. I don't know if it feels too contrived, or just right, please be honest and let me know, I want to get this as good as I can make it!

A big thanks to 'RoxyConan-Kun', 'Guest', 'Jusmove', 'imnotraven16' and 'allen Vth' for their lovely reviews last chapter! You brightened my day! I just hope this chapter makes yours that little bit brighter too! Thank you as well to those who followed and favorited!

There is of course more to come! My next update could be tomorrow night, or late-Wednesday, depending on how my work goes. Until then, thank you very much, you awesome person!


	10. Jacket

Chapter Ten – Jacket

-X-

Chara's breath hitched as she watched Frisk reach slowly toward the hand of the shrouded figure. She would have been impressed at his boldness, were he not shaking like a leaf whilst doing so.

Frisk's fingers brushed the cold, dry digits of the monster, squeezing his eyes shut. Their hands simultaneously clasped gently, and they shook.

The monster's hand suddenly squeezed tightly around Frisk's hand, the boy's heart leaping through his throat as it did so. He wanted nothing more than to run away, to stay away from this terrifying creature he was so certain would have him for lunch.

' _Fwooooo-ooop'_

Frisk opened his eyes, numbly identifying the sound as coming from their clasped hands, and his pitiful struggle to pull away stopped.

Both children looked once more at the figure. Something about the light was _changing,_ to Frisk's disbelief. The blackness was disappearing slowly from the monster like the sheets pulled from a bed.

Their ominous visitor was unveiled to be fairly short, at least in comparison to Toriel. It wore a thick, unzipped, blue hooded-jacket, underneath which appeared to be a plain white sweater, both perfect for the environment. That picture was marred by the thin, tan cargo-shorts it wore, along with pink, fluffy slippers it wore on its feet.

What Frisk and even Chara were most taken aback by however, was that underneath this normal though fashionably strange attire, was more than just a metaphorical 'skeletal figure'.

The wide, skull-face of the human-skeleton- _monster_ seemed to stretch slightly in what Frisk thought might be an attempt at a friendly grin, or a sign of impending doom. Its dark, empty eye-sockets held pin-pricks of a grey light within, almost as if they were pupils.

Its bare, toothy mouth snapped lightly, making a clicking-noise, and it pulled its outstretched hand away from Frisk's, the other deep in its jacket pocket.

"Hehe. the old whoopee cushion trick. it's _always_ funny, don't you think so kid?" spoke the skeleton. It had a distinct, low-pitched but breathy voice; it sounded like a young, tired man, intoning all his speech. He turned over his hand, showing the small red whoopee cushion in his hand, the culprit of the noise.

Despite 'his' appearance, and the sheer horror of the moments before, Frisk felt his mouth upturn, his tension easing. He gave a small, hesitant giggle, much to Chara's dismay.

Chara had shuffled to Frisk's side, still highly wary of the skeleton. She still felt the hairs prickle on the back of her neck just looking at him, even though he gave no sign of being aware of her presence. She said nothing, unsettled and her face set unsure.

The talking skeleton seemed to slouch, relaxed and shoved his other arm into his jacket. Frisk immediately became envious, watching it and craving the warmth it must provide, whilst still wary of their visitor.

The monster chuckled, the sound reverberating through slightly chattering teeth. "you're a human aren't you?" he asked. Frisk nodded his head slowly, neither speaking nor put at ease. At this response, the eye sockets of the skeleton seemed to twitch ever so slightly.

The skeleton looked to the side, away from Frisk and Chara, as if unable to look the boy in the eye. "that's funny, i'm supposed to be on the lookout for humans right now…" he said, as if contemplating an unpleasant thought. Chara grabbed Frisk's arm.

"*I don't like this guy Frisk! We should be ready to run!" Chara whispered harshly into Frisk's ear, pulling on his arm, her ever vigilant eyes still on the monster.

Frisk was about to move, in agreement with his partner, when the monster turned back to face him, his skeletal visage stretched into an even more ridiculous grin.

"hey kid, i was just joshing with ya'. i don't really care about all that… so… what's your name?" asked the skeleton, arms out of his pockets, in a shrug and somehow _winking_ his left eye socket.

Frisk covered his hand over Chara's, reassuring them both. It looked like he was hugging himself from the cold, so he shivered, to try and throw off any suspicion.

"M-my name is Frisk, sir… What's…yours?" Frisk asked timidly. The skeleton seemed to find Frisk's response funny, for he laughed, turning his head up to the sky with the seeming hilarity of it.

"don't be calling me that now kiddo! i'm sans. sans… the skeleton." At this flippant statement, the now named-skeleton Sans chuckled, raising his arms for his small audience. Frisk felt his tension begin to ebb away once more, and smiled. Sans _seemed_ to have a relatively carefree attitude- he couldn't be too bad.

Sans seemed to be pleased with this reaction, and returned his hands to his pockets. "so frisk, you came from the ruins, right?" Sans asked with a disinterested tone. Frisk nodded.

"I came from the surface. I want…" Frisk stopped himself before he revealed his and Chara's goal to the stranger. Chara didn't seem to think it was a good idea for Toriel to know, so he assumed that it probably wasn't for anybody else either.

Sans looked back to Frisk with an unreadable look, his perpetual toothy-grin somewhat diminished.

"it's okay kid, i won't ask why you decided to come down here of all places… but hey, welcome to the underground." Sans' grin returned full force, and he winked, his voice calm and reassuring.

Frisk now felt himself relax, which Chara noticed, feeling her tension begin to dissipate with his. _'*If Frisk feels he can trust him, then I guess I'll try to as well…'_ Chara thought dubiously. She tore her gaze from Sans and focussed on the boy, an idea welling up in her head.

"Frisk… Do you think this might be the guy mom was talking about? Who had a brother named Papyrus? I reckon it's worth asking… though he might wonder how you know that." Chara suggested quietly, still holding onto the boy's arm.

Frisk thought it was a good idea. "Mister Sans, do you…" he was cut off by Sans' exaggerated sigh. At Frisk's questioning look, the skeleton elaborated.

"frisk, i asked you not to call me anything like that, just call me sans. or bro. i like 'bro'." Sans drawled tiredly. Frisk felt himself flush at Sans' light reprimand, he didn't want the skeleton to dislike him already!

"A-alright _bro_ Sans, I wanted to… ask if you had a brother… named Papyrus?" Frisk asked tentatively. His blush drained to white at Sans' reaction to his question.

The jacketed skeleton froze at Frisk's words, his gaze felt piercing to the boy's eyes. After a moment however, he spoke once again, in his usual light-hearted manner.

"let me guess, the old lady in the ruins told you that? i really _do_ blab a lot…" Sans asked, peering at Frisk. The boy nodded warily. At Chara's hand-squeeze, he felt compelled to elaborate.

"Yes _Toriel_ did" Frisk enunciated the motherly monster's name, slightly irritated at Sans' nickname for her. "She told me that I should look for you when I… When I left her all alone…" Frisk felt his throat close as the fresh guilt came to the fore once again, and he dipped his head.

Chara squeezed Frisk's arm again, and smiled in understanding when he looked at her. His hand over hers clenched in response- he knew he didn't have to deal with this alone. His gaze switched to Sans though as the skeleton approached him slowly.

"it's alright kid. so that's what she's called… funny." Sans said in a reassuring tone, appearing almost… relieved. Frisk remembered that Toriel had not seemed to know Sans' name either, for why would she identify to him as 'the brother of Papyrus' had she known?

Chara was suspicious though. "*Ask him why he thought it was 'funny'" she rasped, inquisitive. Frisk obliged her, to which Sans seemed to laugh.

"there's only one other person down here in the underground who i knew to have the name 'toriel'. oh well, that's not important. …gotta wonder why you'd leave her though, come down here into old' freezebox…" Sans answered Frisk, a slight undercurrent of disbelief with his last words.

The skeleton then shrugged, winking one eye shut. "…maybe she told you about my hilarious jokes, and you wanted to sample them for yourself?" Sans offered with a jesting manner. Frisk smiled despite himself and nodded, not wanting to uncover the real reason why he was down here.

Sans then sighed once again. "whatever your reason for being down here though frisk, you gotta be careful. it's funny you mention my brother; unlike my lazy self, he **loves** to watch for humans… takes it so seriously you could say he was a **fanatic**." Sans flicked his eyes to look over Frisk's shoulder, seeing something.

"actually… i think that's him coming from over there" Sans pointed out lightly. The two children whipped around with alarm at this notification.

They spotted what Sans was talking about- in the distance appeared to be another skeleton storming toward them. Unlike Sans however, he seemed very tall, and wore what appeared to be a strange orange shawl over his shoulders. More detail could not be picked out however, for Sans suddenly placed his bony hands over Frisk's shoulders, making the boy jump.

He started to push Frisk, forcing him to move over the wooden bridge they had been standing before. Chara was dragged with an indignant yelp, still grasping the poor boy's arm.

Sans reasoning became clear as he explained. "quick, let's go over the gate and into my checkpoint, where you can hide." Sans spoke quietly and swiftly, moving Frisk all the while. At this, the boy moved with him, directed toward the small stall on the other side.

"he made the bars too wide to stop anyone anyway…" Frisk heard Sans mutter under his breath. Chara heard him too, for she guffawed loudly, still being dragged along.

"*Those things were _bars?_ Who would cross over that bridge that'd be big enough for bars to stop them?" Chara exclaimed, referring to what had appeared to be exaggerated wooden supports for the bridge.

The question was left unanswered though as the trio crossed over the bridge and behind the small wooden stall. Sans directed Frisk to hide underneath the counter, he was _just_ small enough to fit under, it primarily being used as a foot space.

"i'm gonna go and distract my brother, you stay down here and don't make a sound, got it?" whispered Sans, leaning down so Frisk could hear. At the boy's nod, Sans stood up straight and rounded the stall, leaving Frisk's sight.

Frisk felt uncomfortable, laid on top of a multi-coloured arrangement of what looked like…condiments? "*Who would have all these bottles of mustard, ketchup… but nothing to put them on?" Chara wondered aloud, kneeling down beside Frisk.

Chara did not get into the space with the boy partly out of space issues and partly down to the reasoning that she wouldn't be seen anyway. Instead, she shook her head at the spectacle of Frisk squashed in on top of a collection of ketchup bottles, and watched over the counter for the arrival of Papyrus.

-X-

Sans' brother arrived with a flurry of kicked-up snow, and a loud rattling of bones. "s'up bro?" Sans asked, no apprehension in his voice whatsoever.

Papyrus, accurate to the children's earlier observation, was very tall. Far taller than his short brother, this was reflected even in the shape of his skull-head- tall instead of wide. His grin was far narrower but much more pronounced, and his face and black eye sockets seemed pressed into a frown.

Unlike Sans, Papyrus was not wearing thick clothing, instead wearing what seemed to be a strange light-grey uniform jumper which did not extend all the way down his skeletal abdomen. He wore small grey pants, and the red shawl was revealed to be a tattered scarf wrapped round his neck. Lastly, he was wearing large, red plastic gloves and boots.

Altogether, Chara thought it made for a very _odd_ picture.

She did not relay this to Frisk yet however, for it did not take long for Papyrus to angrily retort to his brother.

"YOU KNOW WHAT 'S'UP', SANS!" Papyrus spoke very loudly, but not so loud to be shouting. He too, had a young man's voice, except it was far more energetic and sharp than Sans', having an almost formal inflection.

"YOU LAZY DOLT! IT'S BEEN EIGHT DAYS SINCE YOU RECALIBRATED YOUR PUZZLES! HOW. DO. **YOU**. EXPECT TO GET ANYWHERE _NEAR_ THE ROYAL GUARD AT THE RATE YOU'RE GOING?" Papyrus' reprimanding speech seemed to be lost on Sans, who merely stood there, grinning as he always did.

"i dunno why you're so bothered about it papyrus, they're not all they're cooked up to be anyway" Sans said nonchalantly. Papyrus seemed rather perturbed by this, the sound of his gritted teeth audible to Chara as they screeched.

"THE WAY YOU'RE GOING YOU'LL NEVER SEE WHAT KIND OF SPAGHETTI THEY COOK UP ANYWAY!" Papyrus retorted, misreading Sans' meaning. He continued regardless of Sans opening his mouth to speak.

"YOU JUST HANG AROUND YOUR STATION, LOLLYGAGGING, DOING NOTHING! WHAT IF A HUMAN COMES AND YOU'RE NOT PREPARED?!" Papyrus bemoaned, his hands to his shaking head.

Chara felt herself tense at Sans' growing smug grin. "i think i'll be okay. i've got my really complicated plans written down in my stall, d'ya wanna see?" Sans asked him, one hand out of his jacket pocket, his thumb pointing lazily in Chara's direction.

Chara's face fell with dismay at Sans' words- how could he so easily betray Frisk like that! She shook her head, knowing it had to be too good to be true. The rosy cheeked girl was about to drag Frisk out from underneath the counter when she was stopped by Papyrus' next words.

"NO, NO, NO! I DON'T HAVE TIME TO READ YOUR LAZY HANDWRITING, YOUR LAZY PLANS! **I** WANT TO BE READY FOR WHEN A HUMAN COMES! I CAN'T DO THAT WHEN I'M PLAYING YOUR GAMES!" Papyrus ranted, stamping his foot exaggeratedly, turning away from the stall.

"I… I WANT TO BE THE ONE TO CATCH THE HUMAN! I MUST BE THE ONE! WHEN I DO… I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL FINALLY BE QUALIFIED TO JOIN THE ROYAL GUARD! FAME, RESPECT… _FRIENDS_! I WILL HAVE THEM ALL!" Papyrus' wishy-washy monologue was cut short by a rough cough from Sans.

"i dunno about all that bro, but maybe my plans will help you out? they did for me" Sans reiterated the point of his 'plans', looking over to the counter of the stall. Chara frowned- was this all part of a plan, or was Sans genuinely trying to betray them here?

Again, Sans' statement seemed to put-off Papyrus. "SANS! ALL YOU DO IS SIT HERE, BOONDOGGLING! IF YOU DON'T EVEN BOTHER TO RESET YOUR PUZZLES, HOW COULD YOUR 'PLANS' POSSIBLY HELP ME?" Papyrus lamented, disbelieving. Sans' gamble seemed to be working.

"hey, don't be too quick to judge, or else i'll have a **bone** to pick with you." Sans' ever-present grin grew to an unprecedented size as Papyrus groaned loudly at his pun. Likewise, Chara made a dismissive sound though Frisk, having heard it, elicited a small giggle.

"come on bro, you liked it! _you're_ smiling" needled Sans with a knowing tone. Chara looked to Papyrus to observe that this was indeed true… although his frown was fiercer than ever.

"I KNOW! I HATE IT!" Papyrus then sighed, his frown diminishing to an almost whimsical state.

"WHY DO I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, HAVE TO WORK SO HARD _STILL_ TO BECOME A ROYAL GUARD? SURELY I'VE IMPRESSED EVEN UNDYNE BY NOW…" Papyrus was now speaking with a mournful tone, and he hunched over, his arms dangling to the floor in dejection.

Sans then quipped once again. "hey, you should take it easy once in a while. it really seems like all that fruitless work is making you… **bone-tired**." Sans finished his punchline with a pleased flourish, arms outstretched to the jam-packed captive audience of three.

"NOOO!" cried Papyrus, defeated as he brought his gloved hands to his face, attempting to blind himself from seeing something truly terrible.

The tall skeleton whipped around and stood straight, facing away from the stall and Sans. "I'M NOT LISTENING TO THIS ANY MORE! INSTEAD, I WILL GO AND FIX _MY_ PUZZLES. AS FOR YOU…" Papyrus' low speech was stopped as he turned back around and pointed accusingly at his brother.

"…YOU SHOULD GET OFF YOUR LAZY, **BONE-IDLE** BACKSIDE AND DO THE SAME! NYEH-HEH-HEH!" As Papyrus laughed at his own contribution to skeleton puns, he raced off back down the path, the volume of his laughter diminishing as the distance increased.

-X-

Chara turned her mystified gaze back to Sans, who had a satisfied grin adorning his visage. She could barely hear his muttering- "who knew he'd pull such a good one on me like that? i knew he had it in him all along…" Sans chuckled quietly, and called over toward the stall.

"hey kid, you can come out now." At this, Chara moved out of the way of Frisk, who shuffled out of the cramped foot space, careful to avoid knocking over any bottles.

As Frisk got up, he tried his best to contain his shivering, the cold gnawing at his insides. Chara tried rubbing her hands and placing them over his cheeks, but the heat she could produce was vestigial at best, being a ghost.

Sans slowly walked over to the stall, his lazy gaze catching onto Frisk's shiver. "hey frisk, you cold?" Sans asked casually. Chara just groaned at this comment, ignoring the short skeleton, despite her wariness. Frisk's needs came first.

Frisk just nodded, his face scrunched up in an effort to shake himself warmer. "T-thank y-you Sans, for h-hiding me l-like that." managed Frisk, smiling brightly at the skeleton despite his discomfort.

Sans seemed to blink once. Then twice. Without further ado, the short monster shuffled his way out of his thick blue jacket, moved over to Frisk and placed it over his shoulders for the little boy to shove his arms through.

Frisk got his arms into the sleeves and zipped it up, craving the warmth it provided greedily. To his dismay, there wasn't any initially.

"T-thank y-you S-Sans! B-but w-why i-is i-it s-s-s… _so cold?!"_ Frisk's intermittent thanks was carried by a cry of shock at the chill of it.

Sans crossed his arms, still covered with his white sweater. "sorry kid, but we skeletons… we don't produce heat. you'll warm up eventually though" Sans said hopefully, unaffected by any repercussions of gifting away his jacket.

"you might wanna make a fire or find somewhere to stay unless you wanna get… **bone-cold** " quipped Sans once again, smiling widely. Frisk managed a shaky laugh, Chara didn't react either way this time, quietly reassessing the comedic skeleton.

"that or he might come back, and then you'll have to listen to more of my hilarious jokes" Sans continued, winking. Chara agreed with this statement, and tugged lightly behind Frisk's new jacket.

"*Come on Frisk, he's right. He can't hide us forever, and we need to keep moving and get out of this cold" Chara whispered reasonably. Frisk nodded, acquiescing to both their suggestions.

This time, Frisk brought a significantly-less shaking hand up in front of Sans. The skeleton took it, and shook it. They both smiled, and it would seem that Frisk had made a new friend.

"Really… thank you Sans, for hiding me, and letting me borrow this jacket." Said Frisk, and Sans just waved his hands dismissively.

"think nothing of it, bud." Sans said, turning to his checkpoint. He began to trudge over to it, but stopped mid-way, and turned back to Frisk, who was still watching him.

"actually… there is some way you could repay me, but think of it as a favour." Sans started slowly, unsure. Frisk was all ears, and Chara stood beside him, attentive also for the skeleton who had helped them.

"as you probably heard back there… papyrus has been a little under the weather, what with being brushed off by the royal guard… it would really make his day if he saw you, a human." Frisk looked hesitant at this, and Chara was shaking her head at the boy, thinking it was a bad idea.

Sans noticed Frisk's reluctance at the plan. "now don't worry, he could never be dangerous even if he tried to be, and i'll be there just in case. it's just… he's never seen a human before, and i would like to see him truly happy." Sans' request became sad, whimsical in tone toward the end.

Frisk found he could not deny him, even if he had ever wanted to. "Of course, Sans. I just hope Papyrus won't be unhappy that I'm wearing your jacket…" Frisk pointed out, though he was loathe to lose his newfound source of heat.

"ah don't worry about that, i'll just say you stole it… or that you could be just wearing the same sort of coat, he'll believe it" Sans spoke reassuringly. The skeleton put his hands in his pant-pockets, as he liked to do.

Frisk wasn't sure about the first suggestion, not wanting to seem to be a thief, but acquiesced to Sans' reasoning.

"now get a move on, and thanks a bunch, frisk" Sans encouraged, waving his hands in the direction of the path. Frisk smiled and nodded once more, complying.

The two children walked away from the checkpoint and down the path. In the distance they could see the trees begin to disperse, and the space begin to widen. Perhaps they were reaching the end of the woods?

Frisk moved forward without looking back, a determined grin on his face despite his sores, despite the cold and despite what Papyrus may or may not do. Chara looked at him with a soft smile on her face, keeping pace.

For a moment though, there was a crawling, itching feeling on her back. She was compelled to look over her shoulder.

Sans was still stood there, watching them go. Chara peered closer, squinting her brown-red eyes.

He was staring at _her._

Only one of his eyes had light in it, his left. It was glowing blue.

Chara's shock made her blink. When she opened her eyes again, Sans was gone.

Frisk had noticed her halt, and stopped to face her. "Are you alright Chara?" He asked cheerily, unaware of what his partner had just seen.

' _*Was that just my imagination? Or…'_ Chara thought. She hoped it was, and shook her head to clear the eerie image out of her head.

"*Yeah it was nothing. Let's keep going Frisk!" Chara chirped, turning back to the path, grabbing the boy's hand and dragging him, half-out of enthusiasm and half to get away from something she thought she imagined.

Frisk simply shook his head in exasperation, smiling and unaware. He worked his legs to keep up with her pace, and faced the road ahead with resolve in his eyes.

-X-

 **A/N:** New chapter finally! I hope you enjoy this, the meeting with the skeleton brothers! I was a bit unsure how to write this, and the formatting kept battling me at every step, but I hope it worked out for you.

A big thanks to 'Guest', 'Alpho', 'rampagingshepard', 'imnotraven16' and 'jack hopper' for their awesome comments! A thank you to all those who followed and favorited too!

As always, if you see any errors or find it unreadable for whatever reason, leave a comment and I'll do my best to correct it! I want to get better!

The next chapter could be out within the next couple of days, so keep your eyes peeled! See you next time!


	11. Whitewash

Chapter Eleven – Whitewash

-X-

Frisk and Chara ran along the icy path, feeling their spirits lifted by the dispersing trees. A twist, a turn, a steep hill and several hundred steps later, they had finally made it.

The view from the hill crest they stood upon was something to behold.

In the distance, they could see the soft yellow lights of a small town, surrounded by the pale. A deep gorge cut and meandered from behind the trees, through the town and into a cave almost at the edge of perception.

A broken mesa separated the children from the plains surrounding the town, lit up by the twinkling lights of the cave-ceiling far-above. They could see walkways connecting all the parts of the mesa together, which would allow them to cross over.

The trees behind them were tall and clustered together, as if they were prison bars along the path they followed. In front of them, the trees were far shorter, scattered about more haphazard. The leaves were many, for they were thin-green pine-needles, covered in snow.

"…Christmas trees?" Frisk uttered in wonder. He had only seen a couple before, at the centre of town, all-covered in baubles and sparkly tinsel. Here, there were so many, so _alive_.

"*Fir trees actually… but they're Christmas trees too. Aren't they pretty?" Chara spoke, a girlish delight to her voice. She skipped down the hill to the nearest tree, and Frisk stumbled after her, one hand outstretched for balance whilst the other grasped into the hem of Sans' coat.

"W-wait!" called out Frisk, struggling to keep up with Chara. But she had already reached her destination, trying in vain to scoop up the ice settled on the branches, feel the needles prick her skin.

As the boy reached her, hands grasping his knees, doubled over to catch his breath, Frisk noticed the slight flicker of despair pass over her visage. Not a moment later though, it was gone. He wondered if he had just imagined it, but pressed the issue anyway.

"Are you alright Chara?" Frisk repeated his same question from earlier, worried. Chara hesitated, neither nodding nor shaking her head.

"*It's just… I… wish I could touch this branch here, see?" Chara said harshly, excusing. She pointed to an outstretched branch, Frisk walked over and ran his fingers through the needles, gathering and shifting the snow as he did so.

He frowned. Frisk knew that she wasn't telling him everything, though he certainly would be disappointed if he could no longer have much of an influence on the world. There was more, and he wanted to prise apart the mystery, if only a little at a time to spare her feelings.

Now was such a time. "There's more, isn't there? You seemed much more scared by Sans back there than I was… I'm supposed to be the scaredy-cat!" Frisk attempted to cover his prying with a little self-deprecating humour.

Chara made a half-smile at his joke but wouldn't look at him. She just stared at the branch Frisk had brushed, silent, lost in thought.

Frisk waited patiently, collecting more snow from the branches. Once he had 'cleaned' the lower branches of the stout fir tree, an idea prickled into his mind. A slow, devious grin worked its way onto his face, and he turned away as if to hide it from his partner.

The boy leaned down, reaching with shivering fingers into the thick snow cover, and grasped a handful of snow. He then stood straight and compressed the snow into his weapon of choice.

"Hey Chara!" Frisk called over. Chara snapped her gaze to him, questioning. Frisk's grin became toothy. "Catch!"

Frisk didn't quite know what to expect when he threw the snowball at his ghostly friend. He thought it would just pass through her, or make her feel cold. Just that the energy of the play would make her feel a little bit better, from whatever troubles she was facing.

He did not expect the snowball to hit her in the face, the impact knocking back her head, snow flying around.

The two just stood there for a moment. All was silent. Frisk was the first to move, his mouth wide-open in shock, quavering.

"I'm sorry Chara! I didn't- I-" Frisk babbled, attempting an apology for his childishness. Chara wiped some of the snow from her eyes and mouth, and glared at the long-haired boy.

"*That's not fair! Why are you…" Chara stopped her tirade before it truly began. Something occurred to them both then. The thrown snowball had hit her. The snow was still on her face.

Chara began to grin, the pearly white of her teeth shining out with the wideness of it. "*Oh Frisk…" she sang out, marauding toward him, the snow in her hands at the ready.

Frisk stumbled as he backed away, falling onto his backside, hands reaching out to her. "No Chara! Don't-!" he pleaded, futile as the girl leapt.

Frisk struggled as she grappled with him. Chara shoved her icy hands down the neck of his jacket, his sweater and onto his bare-back, his chest. He cried out with the sudden, alarming chill- the taste of his own medicine complete.

Chara's delighted laughter rang out over the hill they stood on, Frisk squirming to get all the bits of cold slush out of his clothes.

As they walked toward the path in the distance, Frisk, quite perturbed was inwardly pleased that he had managed to bring a happier smile to the face of his friend. He had disliked the fake one.

-X-

The trees seemed to cluster together as they walked down the hill and along the new path, but not nearly to the same extent of the forest that had initially greeted them. As the hill eased out, the children could hear the sound of rushing water- an indication of the nearby gorge.

Frisk looked to Chara, who was walking beside him, humming a melancholy tune. Her smile was more contented, but she was evidently still lost in thought. His question still burned in his head, and his mind raced to find a way to broach the topic once more.

As they walked in a companionable silence, the path split in two; one downward path lead in the direction of the watery-sound, the other was indeterminate at best. Chara, who brought herself from her daydreams, waved toward the downward path, shrugging. Frisk nodded in response- it was better than going nowhere.

The children followed the path, which was far shorter than expected. After a couple of turns, it abruptly stopped at a sheer cliffside, the deep gorge before them.

The navy-blue water glittered up at them in the faux-starlight of the cave, running through the channel at a swift velocity.

"*Probably shouldn't go for a swim in it, eh Frisk?" Chara jibed, elbowing him lightly in the chest. Frisk chuckled quietly, just watching the scene below him. He thought it was beautiful, the sparkling water and the rough banks. He looked to his friend to see that she too had returned to watching it, the slight breeze ruffling her hair and the ribbon he had placed in it.

Frisk gulped. He had to ask her now.

"Chara… I…" Frisk stopped when she looked at him, the smile dropped from her face. She had known what he was going to ask.

"*About Sans? Right… I… Don't know" Chara lamely attempted to evade the question, avoiding his eyes. Frisk frowned, determined to get an answer this time. He gently grasped her hand.

"Please, tell me Chara. It really seemed to bother you back there. I… I don't want you to be scared of him, remember, he can't get you, and you've got me!"

Chara's eyes widened at his brightly put speech, the reversal of some of her own words not lost on her. Frisk looked beseechingly at her. _'*He is so genuine… he reminds me of…'_ Chara shook her head to rid herself of that thought. Not anymore. Frisk was far more determined than he ever was, and utterly idealistic.

He was stronger than her, even though he did not know it.

Chara's shocked gaze softened into a wistful smile. Frisk was sincerely trying to help her.

"*I… I think Sans could see _me_ , but he either pretended he couldn't, or…" Chara's stuttered speech petered out as she thought. If only Frisk and the ghosts could see her, then what gave her away to Sans?

Her eyes returned to Frisk, a lost look on her face. He just nodded slowly, the picture beginning to form in his head.

"We'll just have to be careful then… but he seems nice, he gave me this and protected us from his brother after all!" Frisk said hopefully, regarding Chara with an encouraging smile. He held his hand out to her.

Chara just smiled. When he was down, she'd be there to pick him up, like he was doing for her right now.

She took his hand, and they walked back up the path, the gorge left forgotten behind them.

-X-

As the children made their way down the other path, they could hear the noise of speech up ahead.

Frisk, rubbing at the sores beneath his jacket moved slowly so he could better hear it, raising a finger to his mouth so Chara knew what he intended to do. She nodded, and moved up beside him, far quicker and far more silently.

There were two voices, one loud and fairly shrill, the other quiet and low. Papyrus and Sans.

As the children rounded a turn, Chara waved her hands uselessly, trying to stop Frisk from entering the brothers' line of sight. It didn't work.

Frisk felt the blood drain from his face as Papyrus noticed him, his tall mouth open in surprise.

"SANS! WHAT IS THAT? AND WHY IS IT WEARING YOUR JACKET?" Papyrus demanded, suspicious. Sans shrugged, feigning ignorance despite being conspicuously un-jacketed.

"i dunno. why don't you go ask him?" Sans spoke innocently.

The children almost couldn't believe their eyes as Papyrus gave a mocking salute to his brother, turned toward them and marched smartly toward them, red scarf fluttering behind him.

The tall skeleton stopped nary 10 feet in front of Frisk, glaring down at him. The little boy whimpered. "YOU THERE! WHY DO YOU HAVE MY BROTHER'S JACKET? WHY DO YOU…?"

Papyrus' interrogation was cut short by his loud, prolonged gasp, his hands reaching up and grabbing onto his jaw. His eye sockets widened in surprise, though the black in them had narrowed to a pinprick, almost cartoonish.

The scarved skeleton gestured wildly, pointing incessantly at something behind Frisk. The boy quickly glanced to Chara, who was by his side. She shrugged, bewildered. He had not spotted her… So what then?

"SANS! SAAANS! WHAT IS THAT! IS THAT A… IS THAT A…! HUMAN?!" Papyrus shouted with excitement, calling for his short brother. Frisk felt almost dizzy with the fear, peering up at the gesticulating skeleton.

"actually… papyrus i think that's just a strange lookin' rock." Sans deadpanned at his brother, scratching at his bony chin.

Chara turned around at this statement to see that she and Frisk had indeed passed by an oddly humanoid shaped boulder. They had not paid it any mind when they passed it, intent on discovering the source of the voices. She snorted.

"*Frisk, he's right. He doesn't know what you are yet!" Chara whispered encouragingly into Frisk's ear, grasping at his hand for support. Frisk seemed to stand straighter at this realisation, having wilted with anxiety prior.

Then Sans dashed that one ray of hope.

"hey bro, i don't think that's a rock stood in front of you though is it?" Sans suggested glibly. Papyrus gasped again, this time pointing at Frisk.

"YOU! I'LL ASK ONE MORE TIME! WHY HAVE YOU STOLEN MY BROTHER'S JACKET! WHY ARE YOU SO STRANGE LOOKING? ARE YOU A…!" Papyrus silenced his questioning as his eyes seemed to pop out once more, seeming to find Frisk quite the spectacle to look at.

" _SANS, IS THAT A HUMAN?"_ Papyrus had leaned down and cupped his gloved hand over his mouth as if to whisper… but spoke so loudly the children could hear him anyway. Frisk took a shaky step backward from the unravelling disaster.

Frisk could only watch as Sans nodded, grin ever-present on his face, and Papyrus squealed with…delight? Chara squeezed his hand as the tall, excitable skeleton shuffled toward the boy.

"HUMAN! TELL ME YOUR NAME!" Papyrus asked happily, his frown replaced by a gleeful look. Frisk now shared Chara's bewildered expression, and struggled to find the words, flabbergasted.

"M-My name i-is F-Frisk, sir P-Papyrus!" Frisk chattered out his reply, squeezing both Chara's hand and the hem of his jacket in anxiety. Papyrus seemed inordinately pleased by Frisk's words.

"SIR?! WHY YOU MUST ALREADY KNOW OF MY IMPENDING GREATNESS! NOT THAT _I_ NEEDED IT! OOH I CAN'T WAIT UNTIL UNDYNE HEARS ABOUT THIS! I FOUND A HUMAN! I'LL BE A ROYAL GUARD! I'LL…I'LL…" Papyrus' excited chattering was interrupted as he coughed to clear his non-existent throat, and stood straight, looking down at Frisk smartly.

Papyrus then started off with a question the boy had not been expecting. "MISTER FRISK, WHY HAVE YOU STOLEN MY BROTHER'S JACKET?! I MUST KNOW BEFORE YOU PROCEED! BEFORE YOU ARE ENTANGLED IN MY NEFARIOUS PUZZLES! BEFORE I CAPTURE YOU AND BECOME…POPULAR!"

Chara tugged on Frisk's hand, seeing an opportunity for a little vicarious payback. Frisk glanced at her, seeing her thoughtful smirk.

"*I know Sans said you should lie… but maybe you should tell him the truth instead. Maybe that could fix the problem for us straight away?" Chara suggested innocently. Frisk looked dubious at divulging Sans' secret like this, but he could not think of any other excuse that did not sound ham-fisted.

Frisk steeled himself, and willed himself to speak without stuttering. "But mister Papyrus, I didn't steal your brother's jacket. H-he gave it to m-me when he s-saw I was-s cold." Frisk pressed his lips together tightly- despite his best effort, he could not stop shaking when he saw Sans' face fall at his words.

Papyrus slowly and stiffly swivelled round on his heel to face his brother, standing a few paces behind him. "SANS… IS THIS TRUE?" Papyrus said uncertainly, frowning.

Sans' shocked expression was quickly covered up as he recovered, returning to his ever-casual stance, a twinkle in his eye. "what can i say bro? i saw frisk back there, and he needed a little hand. i couldn't just leave the little guy to fend for himself like that… if i did, that'd mean i'm… **bad to the bone**."

The ridge where Papyrus' eyebrow would have been twitched at Sans' pun, the latter looking rather pleased with himself, his cheesy grin widening. Neither Frisk nor Chara could contain a small giggle at Papyrus' reaction.

Papyrus turned back to Frisk, hunched over and glaring. He huffed. "AND WHAT ARE _YOU_ LAUGHING AT HUMAN? SANS SHOULD HAVE CAPTURED YOU!" he exclaimed.

"hey, i couldn't have captured him. i was on my break." Sans quipped, flicking his eyebrow-ridges at Papyrus ridiculously. The tall skeleton just groaned loudly.

Suddenly, Papyrus' expression brightened, and he stood up straight, punching his palm as if he had an idea.

"I KNEW IT! YOU LET FRISK GO SO THAT I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WOULD BE ABLE TO CAPTURE HIM MYSELF! YOU'RE TOO KIND BROTHER!" Papyrus exclaimed happily, sending a beaming smile to his captive audience.

"…uhh yeah. that's what i did. papyrus-" Sans was cut off by Papyrus' next loud proclamation.

"AHEM! TO THE HUMAN, FRISK! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, HEREBY CHALLENGE YOU! TO PUZZLES! TO MAYHEM! TO MAGNIFICENT JAPES! IF YOU CAN PREVAIL… THEN MAYBE YOU WON'T HAVE TO GIVE THAT JACKET BACK! BUT KNOW THIS!" Papyrus paused, bringing one hand and laying it across his chest, as if giving a solemn vow.

"I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, _WILL_ CAPTURE YOU! THEN! I WILL HAVE SO MANY… FRIENDS! NYEH-HEH-HEH!" Papyrus then marched off excitedly, bones rattling and snow flurrying away in his wake.

-X-

"*Well… that went okay, I guess?" Chara admitted, letting out a breath she didn't know she was holding. She squeezed Frisk's trembling hand in reassurance.

Her optimism drained as her gaze passed over Sans, a prickling feeling on her back as she did so. He gave no indication that he knew she was there, but she vowed to avoid looking at him if at all possible.

Said short skeleton approached the duo, chuckling quietly to himself all the while. "what'd you give that away for bro?" Sans asked, whining and pointing at his jacket on Frisk.

Frisk responded by leaping towards Sans, hugging him.

Despite Chara's warning about the skeleton, Frisk knew that he'd be able to reason with him if any trouble arose… He just came across as too tired, too friendly to be capable of even hurting him, let alone Chara.

Sans looked surprised once again, his eye sockets wide, arms outstretched with the impact. Chara watched cautiously as he brought his arms slowly to embrace her friend, the skeleton seemingly ignorant of her.

"hey… it's alright kid. it went better than you thought right? don't worry… i'm keeping an eye socket out for ya!" Sans spoke awkwardly, patting Frisk's back.

The boy pulled away from the skeleton, the vestiges of tears coating his eyelashes. He would have hugged Chara, but couldn't do that in front of Sans. So he instinctively did the next best thing.

Frisk hiccoughed and spoke. "I-I… thank you, for holding back your brother Sans. I just…" the boy shook himself, and built up his resolve, missing Chara's hand already.

"hey, don't sweat it frisk. you did that all yourself. and my brother already looks super happy about this!" Sans stressed to the boy, looking down the path Papyrus had marched down, smiling.

Frisk gave a guilty start, glad that Sans didn't seem to notice. He glanced at Chara, who merely nodded slightly, a small smile adorning her rosy-cheeked face.

"I just… I just don't want Papyrus to hurt me. I don't want to fight. I just want to go through… maybe we could be friends instead!" Frisk chattered hopefully. Sans turned back to Frisk, one eyebrow ridge slightly raised.

"i'm sure that if anybody could do it, you could kid. i mean, wow, you filched my jacket off me after just meeting me" Sans joked, winking at him. At Frisk's look of horror, Sans just laughed and heavily patted the boy's shoulder.

The short skeleton turned and started to walk away, chuckling all the while. He turned his head and spoke over his shoulder. "seriously, don't sweat it. papyrus isn't dangerous even when he wants to be. i'm sure he'll be glad to be your friend."

Sans then winked, and continued to walk away from the children. Before long, he was out of sight.

-X-

The two children continued slowly along the snowy path, in the same direction the brothers had gone. A sense of trepidation to both of their steps.

Chara turned her head to Frisk and gave him a lopsided smile. "*Hey, you did really good back there, even if you think things are bad, we can do this!" she said gently, coaxing some of her enthusiasm back into him.

Frisk looked at her, and smiled tiredly. "Thank you Chara… for everything…" Frisk spoke quietly. Chara smiled brightly at him, her brown eyes stretched with the expression. They both continued along the path in a companionable silence.

It was not long before they approached what appeared to be another checkpoint… except it had been haphazardly built. Out of cardboard.

Frisk and Chara approached the large cardboard stall, puzzled. Chara noticed a scrawling message left below the 'window'.

"*Hey Frisk, there's something written here…" Frisk walked to her side as she kneeled down to read the strange cursive writing.

"*You observe a very well-crafted sentry station… you think it was made by that 'extremely famous guardsman'…not yet a… This was made by Papyrus, wasn't it? His writing is as big and strange as the big guy's voice!" Chara remarked, having read out the message for Frisk.

Frisk chuckled, smiling slightly. Chara noticed he was still slightly lackadaisical, and resolved to do something about it. She got up, and embraced him.

"*Frisk, remember what Sans said. Even though I don't like that guy… He said Papyrus isn't dangerous. If the worst comes pass, we'll figure it out, okay!" She said softly into his ear. Frisk tightened his end of the hug, and after a few moments, parted from her.

Frisk exhibited a determined, if a little wavering smile. "Together." He said resolutely. Chara nodded, returning his look.

"*Together." She affirmed. They both returned to walking down the snowy path, keeping pace with one another. They got this far… they could both surmount whatever faced them.

-X-

 **A/N:** A shorter chapter, I hope you guys like it! I was a little unsure of how it panned out there at the end… If there's something you find wrong with any of it, please don't hesitate to drop me a comment! Criticism makes me write better!

A big thanks to 'hi ace50', 'TheEmeraldQueen', the three guests, 'allen Vth', 'Qwerty2245', 'jack hopper' and 'imnotraven16' for the lovely comments! Thank you to those who followed and favorited too! I'm glad to hear that this idea of mine seems to be working out!

The next chapter will either be late Sunday, or by Wednesday. Work calls! See you until then!


	12. Dogs

Chapter Twelve – Dogs

-X-

Frisk and Chara had been walking along slowly, the town lights in the distance getting ever closer. The sky-glow contributed to the twinkling sequins above, the navy-blue canvas interplaying with the deep, dark vermillion. This was a sight Frisk was used to.

Never had it been this quiet though. The only sounds to be heard were their footsteps and the muted breeze. It was comforting, in a way. The repetitive noise gave Frisk something for his mind to hold onto, his hand latched in Chara's.

Which is why the distant echoing of yowls and barks were so startling to the pair.

It sounded like nothing the boy had ever heard before; they were not simply the confused exclamations of wild animals, for Frisk could hear words and phrases shaped within the clamour. They were commands- gruff, formal, and getting closer.

Chara beckoned to Frisk silently, and they both quickly moved just behind the trees at the side of the icy road. Just in time, as over the crest of the hill the two were about to cross over, came an armed battalion of knights.

Menacing knights, built from head to toe in dark black armour, spears underarm, pointed slightly away so the soldier in front was not lanced by their sharp tip. At the head of the formation was an even larger knight, growling as it marched. It wore a feather-tip helmet, had a chest so large it must have contained more muscle than naturally possible. The image alone would have terrified any child, rooting them to the spot, hoping it was just a nightmare they would wake from.

Except for the furiously wagging, fluffy tails sprouting from the backs of each of the soldiers.

"Halt!" Barked the large soldier, and the formation stopped marching, attentive. The 'leader' swivelled round on its strange, plated-boots to face its charge. It peered at them for a moment, and then turned its head, looking straight at the two children.

Were Chara not incorporeal, it would have seen her. She was stood at the side of the fir tree that Frisk was crouched behind, who was shivering with the cold and the fear. The girl raised a hand to belay any movement, every moment that passed increasing her trepidation.

Before long however, the large soldier turned its helm away, gazing elsewhere. Chara let out the breath she had been holding, slightly disappointed at the lack of vapour. Both she and Frisk froze still at the grumbling exclamation from the leader.

"Something further ahead… something small… something… human!" bellowed the soldier, its voice echoing out of its armour in a terrifying manner. As the monster said this, the troops behind him seemed to perk up, becoming restless. The slight tones of muffled yips came from the formation, excited.

The commander of the group reached up with its stubby, awkwardly armoured hands and motioned to take its helmet off. Chara was half-expecting the doglike monsters she had known long before to have been replaced by something terrifying, and flinched as it flung its helmet to the ground before it.

Her jaw dropped not in astonishment at the sight of the soldiers' face… but in an almost disappointed sneer. For the large, terrifying, _monstrous_ dog… was revealed to be completely harmless-looking, fluffy and above-all, cute. Its tongue lolled out of its white-furred muzzle, and Chara would be tempted to give Frisk the all-clear, were the dog-soldier not waving its spear around dangerously.

The large fluffy dog took a deep sniff of the air, and surveyed the surroundings once more. "Human nearby, I am sure of it!" it chirruped excitedly, it voice far less intimidating without the muffle of its helmet. The troops were incensed at this news, and seemed to be barely able to contain their excitement, shaking within their armour.

Also excited at this knowledge, the leader scooped it helmet off the snowy ground and fitted it back onto its head, standing straight in front of the formation. "The human must be up ahead! March!" ordered the big dog, the armour of the troops screeching as they built themselves back into their pace.

As the dogs disappeared behind the trees, Chara gently placed her hand on Frisk's shoulder. "*Hey, they're gone now, nothing to worry about." She assured, lopsided smile in place. Frisk looked up at her, dubious.

"They sounded pretty mean… scary. How did they know I was here?" Frisk asked, anxiety laced in his tone. Chara gave a dismissive wave of her hand, giggling slightly.

"*Here I thought they would be mean too. But I don't think the dogs have changed one bit. I wouldn't be surprised that if they do find you, they'd try to _play_ with you instead!" Chara now clutched at her sides, a full belly-laugh developing. She seemed to find the idea of the dog-knights hilarious.

Frisk didn't quite yet find the humour in it. "What do you mean, 'play with me'? They sounded pretty mean to me!" He got up from the ground, patting himself down for any of the wet snow.

Chara recovered from her giggle-fit, and seeing Frisk's look of uncertainty elaborated further. "*I mean, when I was… still around down here… they were being 'trained' for recruitment into the royal guard. They seemed think a battle was playtime! You heard how excited they got… the armour and the voices are just for show" Chara explained, a toothy grin filled with mirth on her rosy face.

Were Chara anybody else, and the certainty with which she said it any less absolute, Frisk would have dismissed the reassurance, still afraid. As it was, he tried to relax, and as his partner cheerily returned to the path, he moved toward it as well.

Despite this information, Frisk did _not_ want to meet an entire squadron of excitable, armoured canines. So after her looking both ways up and down the path, he hurried to Chara's side, hoping they didn't meet the dogs again.

-X-

The enclosed, scenic path had begun to widen again; they had reached the fractured mesa they had seen from the top of the large hill the pair had entered from. The snow cover was harder and icier, meaning that their footfalls didn't produce so much of a crunch, nor did it take as much effort to move forward.

Frisk and Chara's mood lightened at the amount of progress they seemed to have made. The pair both looked at each other as they moved, nodding happily. They were content in each other's company, believing that they could really achieve what they set out to do, what they left behind to do.

It wasn't long however until the widening path gave way to something more troubling.

The path hadn't quite expanded enough for them to avoid the checkpoint, which was built to a considerably better standard than Papyrus' cardboard box, or even Sans' condiment stall. This was all-business, the visage of a snarling dogs' face adorning the arch of the station window.

The woods in front of the stall were too sparse, and the ground gave way into an enormous, seemingly bottomless crevasse, so the children could not avoid it that way.

Chara went by herself through the woods behind the stall, to see if it was worth Frisk traversing that way. She found a similar problem- the gorge with the running river was within sight of the back of the checkpoint, and there was no way to climb down from there.

The only choice they had was to cross in front of it, which despite Chara's guarantee about the dog-monsters Frisk was still hesitant to do. Chara held his hand as they slowly trudged up to the stall, stopping before the sign plastered on its side.

Chara read it out for Frisk. "*Absolutely no moving, except for by Royal Guard personnel" she intoned, squinting at the odd cursive form it was written in. It looked like it had been scrawled whilst the author was in the midst of running, or corrected numerous times- a mess.

"*Whoever this guy is, it sounds like he's incredibly specialised… shall we take a closer look?" Chara suggested, tugging on Frisk's hand. Despite himself, Frisk gulped down the anxiety and moved with her silently to the front of the checkpoint, reasoning that if he managed to avoid the wrath of Papyrus thus far, he could certainly manage this.

Frisk stood just before the window, out of the sight of any occupants, whilst Chara moved round to look in. It was sparsely decorated- a worn-looking coffee machine beside the front counter, a pair of rickety filing cabinets at the back, presumably containing just guard documentation.

Sat at the desk was a dog-monster, as they had been expecting. He didn't seem to be wearing any standard form of uniform however, instead attired in a pink vest with the word 'Doggo' on it, and a picture of its wearer's face. It had tight, leopard-print pants on, and was bare-foot. _'*Maybe he's not on duty?"_ Chara mused, for he also seemed to be smoking a bright pink dog treat, staring blearily forward across the road.

Chara returned to Frisk's side, shrugging at his questioning look. "*I don't think this guy is going to be much trouble, he looks like he can barely stay awake, let alone stop us…" Chara said, sighing quietly. The boy nodded, but ensured her hand was firmly in his before he moved back out into the road, and past the occupied checkpoint.

They had made it two paces within sight of the station window before the children heard a strangled barking coming from the checkpoint. Not three seconds later, and there was a flurry of snow before them as Doggo leapt from the opening and landed in front of them.

He was brandishing a sharp short-sword in either hand, and was twirling them around threateningly and looking around manically. Frisk found it strange how his eyes kept following the blades, and not looking at him instead. The boy remained frozen as the walking dog paced before him.

"Hmm, I was sure I saw something moving out here… Was it my imagination? Something smells off…" Doggo muttered to himself, noticeably ignorant of the human stood nary 3 paces away. It was at this that Chara felt a quick idea come to mind.

"*Frisk, stay absolutely still! I don't think he can see you unless you're moving! I'm going to try and distract him, you just stay there… and be brave! I'll be back!" Chara whispered, letting go of his hand before he could respond. The boy, missing the reassuring presence of his partner stood still as a statue, a one-way staring contest that he oh so wished he could end.

Chara moved quickly, not wishing to risk Doggo finding her friend, nor leaving him for so long in a hostile presence. After moving into the trees she found a small twig, that after much focus she could nudge with her foot. It would have to do.

Frisk watched out of the corner of his eye as Chara rolled the small twig with great difficulty toward the pair in stare-off. The boy was perplexed- how was _that_ going to help? Thankfully, Chara seemed to notice his look of derision.

"*Hey! It's the best I can manage! You don't know how difficult this is…" Chara snapped wearily, the effort clearly taxing her. Frisk kept his eyebrow raised, hoping the question would still get across to her.

"*I don't know! Remember what I said, these dogs think that fighting is actually _playing_ , and I doubt it's any different for this guy either! If you threw it, it might make him want to go fetch it, enough time for us to escape out of sight!" Chara reasoned impatiently. This time Frisk lost his uncertain look, and waited for his partner to bring the stick over.

Before long, the stick was almost within reach of Frisk, who only had to lean down, _slowly_ , and fetch it. Chara continued to roll it, panting for breath at the exertion. A surprised yip elicited by their visitor made her freeze however.

They looked at Doggo, who was staring intently at the twig. He had seen it move, and stepped over to where it was. "Someone moved this! A human?!" Doggo exclaimed wildly. What the monster did next brought bile to Frisk's throat.

Doggo slashed his swords out above the twig, both blades cutting through Chara, who was seemingly unharmed by the attack.

She collapsed in a heap immediately after, her eyes wide in shock.

Frisk screamed, the strangled noise startling Doggo, who leaped back in fright. Without thinking, the boy scrambled for the twig laid in front of the collapsed Chara, picked it up and approached the monster in one swift series of movements.

Twig in hand, Frisk struck the guard upside his black, muzzled-jaw, a loud snapping echoing over the area.

He froze. Why did he do that? How _could_ he do that? The pained whining from Doggo almost drowned out internal sound of self-recrimination within Frisk, who trembled violently before the guard.

"Oww… Who did that?! That hurt!" Doggo whined, peering around nervously and rubbing his grazed jaw from the ground where he sat. Frisk was surprised at just how much he had managed to hurt such a big guy- either Doggo was far more fragile than they looked or he was far stronger than he thought...

Frisk shook his head to clear the morbid idea. He would not do that again… even if he had done it without thinking, how was fighting ever the answer?

The boy focussed now grimly on the problem before him. Chara was down, she couldn't help him at the moment. He could do what she suggested… but he doubted that Doggo would be so receptive to play after being hurt. Continuing to hurt him might drive him away… But Frisk found he could never consciously bring himself to do that, especially now.

Frisk sorely wanted to amend for what he done, but the thought of Chara's collapse rung strongly in his head. What could he do? What would his partner do?

… The dog-leader from earlier had a high-pitched, squeaky voice when it spoke without the helmet. Doggo could not see Frisk to discern his true appearance. It was worth a shot.

"You!" Frisk exclaimed clearly, puffing up his chest for effect. His voice lacked the fear from earlier, a different kind of turmoil within now- he was utterly serious.

Doggo's ears perked up at the sound, and he shot up, standing and saluting smartly. "Sir!" He half barked, half whined. "Why did you hit me sir?" He continued, expression pained. Frisk shifted uncomfortably.

Frisk decided to keep up the act, it was the only thing that would work, he reasoned. "You were slacking off weren't you! I can smell the smoke… and why aren't you in uniform!" Frisk gambled, growling as best he could, hoping Doggo would believe it.

It worked. "I-I'm sorry sir! I-I-I just thought there…I just!" Doggo cut off his stuttering, gulping and collecting himself, still ignorant of the small child reproaching him.

"I thought th-there was a human nearby! That's why I'm out here! I'm sorry sir, I'll go back t-to my post!" Doggo saluted once again, and marched quickly away into his checkpoint, slamming the door behind him and shutting the stall window, presumably to change into the correct attire.

Frisk stood there, still shocked at how it had worked, and what he done to assure it. He dropped the twig in disgust, and quickly moved over to Chara, who was still laid in the ground, unconscious.

They couldn't stay here, Frisk knew. Soon enough, Doggo would reopen his window, and this time he doubted he could so easily escape the situation. So he did the only thing that came to mind.

He carefully placed his arms underneath her, one arm behind her shoulders, grasping her far arm, and the other beneath her thighs. Frisk stood up, Chara limp but light in his arms, and slowly walked away.

-X-

-O-

 _She was stood, staring up at the light._

 _She oh so ever wanted to get there, but it was the great beyond._

 _Far beyond the reach of those who had sacrificed, but only ended up in sin._

 _What was her sin again?_

" _*I don't remember…" Chara whispered to the accusing light._

 _Ah but she does, she can feel it, crawling up her throat-_

 _A cough. Then another._

 _Chara opened her palm, feeling it wet and sticky with whatever had been expelled._

 _A bright yellow petal, stained with blood._

 _Her hand was shaking, she felt light headed, her vision blurry, nausea arising from her stomach._

 _She coughed again. More petals, more blood._

 _Is this what it was? The sin?_

 _She retched onto the dark floor of the chamber, a tall, dark figure standing beside her._

 _They reached down to her, almost in reassurance- their hands skeletal, a hole gouged out in their each palm, and-_

-O-

-X-

Chara awoke with a start, gasping for breath, shaken by the nightmare. She immediately grasped at her mouth, he throat. No blood, no petals. Just a nightmare.

She was laid atop a large boulder, Sans' jacket warm beneath her. She could hear Frisk shout for her nearby, in the woods. He had evidently heard her awaken, from wherever he was. _'*_ _ **Where**_ _am I?"_ Chara thought, reticent after her recent experience.

Chara looked around the area she had been brought to. It seemed to be atop another hill, overlooking the snow-covered mesa they still had to cross, and the way they had come. The town was far closer now, she could see the individual lights from houses, and people moving around the large street.

The incline around her was covered in fir trees, yet the peak was bare where she sat. Looking to the very top, she spotted a small, white figure. A snowman, smiling cheerily. Chara felt a soft smile come to her face. It seemed Frisk had picked a good place to rest, them able to see everything around.

Just then, the boy in question appeared from behind the treeline, panting, and back in his usual blue and purple-striped attire.

"*I figure you'll be wanting this back, huh?" Chara jibed tiredly, waving at the jacket. Frisk said nothing, merely marching toward her with an unreadable expression on his face. Upon reaching her, he threw his arms around her and pulled them into a tight hug, his breath hitching.

"*H-hey! It's okay Frisk! I-I'm alright!" Chara tried to reassure him, the details of what had happened coming back to her.

Swords. Slashing, cutting right through her. Like an icy finger drawn across her abdomen, she had felt the energy leave her, and her consciousness. Chara gulped at the memory.

She was still here though, and that's what mattered. Chara brought her arms around the boy, who had begun to sob into her shoulder.

"I…I… thought you were gone! I th-thought… I!" Frisk babbled, clinging to Chara like she was a lifeline. She was still speechless with the revelation, and his actions.

"You… I can't do this alone! Not without you! Not without my b-best f-friend!" Frisk raised his head from her shoulder to look at her, his eyes wet and puffy, almost as red as hers were. She just gawked at him, and then pulled him back into the hug, rubbing his back as he calmed down.

"*Don't worry Frisk, you're not alone, I wouldn't leave you that easily now, would I?" She spoke in what she thought was a calming tone, both for his and her benefit.

From her shoulder came the muffled sound of "I'm just glad you're okay…" Frisk's fingers grasped harder on her back as he said it. Chara felt a lump in her throat at his neediness, tears of her own threatening.

"*You're my best friend too, and as friends we stick together! You helped me out there as I do for you! We can do this!" Chara finished, her words stronger than she felt, shaky as her constitution was right now. Frisk breathed in shortly, the sound wet with his tears. He drew away from her once again, and looked at her, his eyes considerably more normal-looking now he was calming down.

"W-what about Asriel? Isn't he your best friend?" Frisk asked with an uncertain tone, sniffling. Chara froze, not expecting to hear that name.

"*We-well he is… But you are too! Can't I have more than one? Besides… he doesn't seem very intent on being 'friends' right now anyway…" Chara said, her speech confused with the lethargy and conflicting feeling regarding her old adoptive sibling. Frisk seemed to accept this, and hugged her one last time, fragile himself.

Chara dismissed the thoughts that had been brought up by the mention of Asriel- what she and he did at the end still unclear to her. Perhaps it would be best if they remained that way. Instead, she raised her eyebrow at Frisk, who had moved to collect the blue jacket from the boulder.

"*Frisk, how did you manage to get away from Doggo in the end? Did you follow my suggestion? It was hard work getting that twig…" Chara spoke, a scowl on her face at both the memory of the effort, and how ridiculous what she had just said sounded.

Frisk froze, halfway through putting on Sans' jacket. When she approached him, he seemed unable to look her in the eye. "*What's wrong Frisk? It can't have been that bad, we're both here after all, and you saved me!" Chara exclaimed, attempting to lift his spirits. Instead, the boy seemed to shrink down at the praise.

A moment passed where he seemed to collect his thoughts, and then he looked at her seriously, the twinkling faux-starlight glittering in his brown eyes.

"I… hurt him, Chara. After seeing what he did to you… I don't know, I just… lashed out." Frisk took a deep breath, as if a weight had been lifted. Chara merely stood there, listening.

"He was just sat there, hurt… and I was just so angry, at him and myself. I thought of what you would do, and… tried speaking like the dog-soldiers from earlier. I told him off, saying he was slacking, and he went back to the checkpoint with his tail between his legs." Frisk finished his recollection with a mirthless laugh. He zipped up the jacket and looked down in front of him, ashamed.

Chara walked up to him, taking his hand and squeezing it. He looked up at her uncertainly, awaiting what she would say.

"*It might feel like you hurt him a lot, but from the sounds of it he probably just took it as some form of discipline. Dogs do and expect that all the time around here." Chara said, stretching the truth just a little, to reassure him.

' _*Personally, if our positions were reversed, I would have done much worse than hurt him…'_ Chara thought darkly. Frisk just looked at her hopefully, ignorant to the twist his partner's thoughts had taken her.

"Really?" Frisk asked, feeling more of the weight lifted. He would always feel guilty, but not as much as he had been doing. Chara nodded, a smile plastered on her face.

"*Really. It does sound like you made the best of a bad situation, and we're both still here, so don't you ever feel bad about it!" Chara chided him gently, poking him in the chest where his sores were. He flinched back in mock agony, and she laughed.

Chara glanced once more at their surroundings, the land below them waiting for the pair to traverse. To adventure. "*Shall we?" she said invitingly to him. Frisk smiled softly in response, and took her hand in his.

They were both shaken, this was for certain. But with a few more words of assurance, the two children proceeded with their journey, no worse for wear.

All of this, this conversation, reconciliation and raw emotion, occurred beneath the gaze of the watchful snowman, who was _very_ confused at the sight of a little boy having a heartfelt conversation with himself.

-X-

 **A/N:** (I don't think I did the ending very well…)

A big thanks to 'TheEmeraldQueen', the two 'Guests', 'jack hopper' and 'imnotraven16' for their lovely comments last chapter! Thank you to those who favorited and followed as well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Most of all, a huge thank you to 'RoxyConan-Kun' for their comments, ideas and moral support! (I hope you enjoy this…)

As always, could I ask that if you find anything, glaring or otherwise that could be improved, tell me, and I will endeavour to correct it! Criticism makes the story better!

The next chapter will be out by late Wednesday at the earliest. See you until then!


	13. Brothers

Chapter Thirteen – Brothers

-X-

As Frisk and Chara stumbled their way down the hill they had rested upon, incensed voices could be heard, carried upon the light breeze and through the fir trees that decorated the steep gradient.

It was acutely obvious to the children who one of the voices belonged to; a certain scarved-skeleton who, to their experience, only ever spoke with excessive volume. The other voice's owner could easily be assumed given who it was responding to, low pitched and soft.

The partners turned to each other as they recognised Papyrus and his brother Sans, sharing a light chuckle, shaking their heads. Frisk doubted Papyrus could ever hope to surprise or ambush anybody, as manic as he often sounded.

After a twist and a turn downhill through thick, evergreen foliage and slick, iced-over streams, the children finally made it to the bottom of the hill, the noise of the skeleton brothers close-by. Chara took a long glance at the slope they had traversed, lauding Frisk's determination in carrying her up it. At the halt in said boy's footsteps, and his curious backward glance, she voiced her question, her face set in a plethora of curiosity and astonishment.

"*Frisk, how _did_ you manage to carry me all the way up there? Sure it was a safe place to go, but… it must have been difficult…" Chara inquired weakly, unsure if she should be gracious or amazed. Frisk shook his head and regarded her with a lopsided smile, not unlike her own.

"You're not heavy at all, and I think… I was just… I didn't think about the journey at all" Frisk said distantly, lamely waving his arms in the direction of the hill. "I just wanted to get you to safety, and I couldn't stop thinking about what I did…" He finished, his eyes looking downward, expression fading.

Chara just smiled softly, understanding. She placed her hand on his shoulder, squeezing, and said no more. After a moment the two walked slowly toward the voices through the trees, steeling themselves, and their ears, for whatever challenges that Papyrus had promised.

-X-

As Frisk and Chara exited the trees, they were graced with the sight of the two odd brothers once again, Papyrus wildly gesticulating at a rather impassive Sans. Behind the skeletons, the fir tree forest ended, a sheer drop either side of the way forward across the mesa.

The boy could _see_ the lights in the distance now, and felt his heart race at the concept of warmth, safety and somewhere to rest his tired head, a lot having happened since he woke up at Toriel's home in the ruins.

At this thought, Frisk steeled himself and approached the brothers, who had thus far been ignorant of his presence. Chara followed close behind, lamely attempting to stay out of the sight of Sans, still unsure about his possible awareness.

Sans noticed the boy first, winking at him. The skeleton paid him no further mind however, as he continued his drawling responses to Papyrus' irate diatribe.

"bro, i can't get in trouble for that. i still got there." Sans said, his voice erring on the side of disinterest. Papyrus raised his gloved fist in outrage.

"HALF AN HOUR AFTER YOU WERE MEANT TO BE THERE! IF YOU WEREN'T _NAPPING_ ALL NIGHT, YOU WOULDN'T HAVE MISSED IT! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU!" Papyrus exclaimed, his eyes seeming to pop of his skull in comedic exasperation. Sans' grin just seemed to grow ever-wider.

"pap, it's not napping. i think it's called… sleeping." The short skeleton seemed to shake in muffled laughter as Papyrus' eyes bulged further, his gloved hands clutched either side of his face is distress.

"UGH! I STILL THINK YOU'RE A LAZYBONES! YOU ALMOST MISSED ME _NEARLY_ BEATING UNDYNE AT TRAINING!" Papyrus groaned in a defeated voice, falling to his bare knees dramatically. Sans, surprisingly to Frisk, looked concerned and almost… relieved?

"bro, you didn't even get one hit on her. but that's not bad at all, we all know you're tough, you don't need to fight to prove-" Sans' almost pleading words were interrupted as Papyrus shot up to his feet at a blinding speed, fist to his chest, the other hand raised in a smart salute.

"INDEED! FOR I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, DO NOT NEED TO BEAT UNDYNE! I AM ALREADY ROYAL GUARD MATERIAL, SHE JUST NEEDS TO…" Papyrus' monologue changed course as he too spotted Frisk, who was steadily approaching. His frown changed to an excited grin at the sight of the child, spinning around to face him.

"OH HO! YOU FINALLY ARRIVED. ARRIVED TO SUBJECT YOURSELF TO MY FANTASTIC, IMPOSSIBLE TO SOLVE _PUZZLES!_ " Papyrus shouted, his eyes popping out further than Frisk would have deemed healthy. Frisk remained steadfast, but reached discreetly behind himself for Chara's hand. As he felt her soft hand grasp his, he felt his resolute smile return to his face.

This only seemed to encourage Papyrus further, who leaned forward IF YOU WOULD WAIT THERE HUMAN-FRISK, I WOULD EXPLAIN FURTHER! FOR YOU…" Papyrus paused for what he must have thought was dramatic effect. Whatever his intentions were, they worked, as Frisk couldn't stop himself from gulping at the almost electric tension in the air.

"…ARE ALREADY IN A PUZZLE! A _SHOCKING_ PUZZLE YOU COULD SAY! NYEH-HEH-HEH!" Papyrus' cackling was almost drowned out by the din of his boots, kicking up flurries of snow in his excitement. Sans just stood there nearby, having moved out of the way. He looked… proud?

Frisk peered around the area warily, which was seemingly clear save for the four occupants. He glanced behind him at Chara, who was scowling in concentration, staring at the ground just in front of them. The boy couldn't see anything however, and with trepidation, spoke.

"W-what do you mean, I'm already in a puzzle? Mister Papyrus, I…" The skeleton in question shushed Frisk's nervous question, a finger raised to his lipless mouth.

"AHEM! I LIKE TO CALL THIS PUZZLE… THE INVISIBLE ELECTRICITY MAZE! NYEH-HEH-HEH!" Papyrus' chortling was barely matched by Chara's guffaw, not that the skeleton could hear it. Once he had calmed down once again, he assumed a more serious, explanatory tone.

"AS YOU HAVE PROBABLY ALREADY FOUND OUT, THE WALLS OF THIS MAZE ARE _INVISIBLE!_ IF YOU TOUCH THE WALLS OF THE MAZE… YOU WILL BE QUITE SHOCKED!" The tall-skeleton stood proudly, arms crossed over his puffed out chest as he said this. His brother in the side-lines nodded thoughtfully with Papyrus' last word. Frisk uneasily thought he knew why.

"But Mister Papyrus sir, I don't want to be hurt! Can I please have a less painful puzzle? I'll solve those instead!" Frisk pleaded, attempting to appeal to the skeleton's mercy. Papyrus seemed to falter at Frisk's words, his gleeful expression downturned, grin weakening.

"LISTEN. DO THIS PUZZLE AND I'LL MAKE SURE THE NEXT ONES WILL BE MORE FUN! BECAUSE THE AMOUNT OF FUN YOU WILL GAIN FROM THIS… WILL BE…" Papyrus reached into his pocket and pulled out a glowing blue remote, looking dolefully at it.

"ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT! I'LL TURN DOWN THE ELECTRICITY! NOW IT'LL JUST GIVE YOU A HEARTY ZAP! HOW DOES THAT SOUND?" Papyrus pressed a finger onto the remote and leaned forward, winking at the boy. Frisk still felt unsure; how was he going to get out of this one?

At Frisk's rising tension, Chara squeezed his hand and moved to the boy's side, carefully avoiding looking at Sans. She leaned onto Frisk lightly, whispering into his ear. "*Can you see the wires on the ground? They're hard to see since I think they're see through… but if you look closely, I reckon we can get through this without a hitch!" Chara rasped quietly, pointing somewhere at the ground in front of them.

Frisk squinted his eyes, peering closely to where Chara was pointing. Upon closer inspection, he could just make out the tripwires hovering slightly above the icy floor, which were only really discernible when he moved his head. He nodded, smiling determinedly. It had been aimed at Chara, but Papyrus took it for a sign of challenge, and stood straight, eager.

"IF YOU ARE READY, THEN PROCEED… WITH CARE! NYEH-HEH-HEH!" Papyrus began his unending tirade of laughter once again, watching Frisk intently.

Although he had just about spotted the wires on the ground, Frisk was baffled at where to start. He could be here all day, and then some! Luckily for him then, that Chara seemed to have better vision.

The girl moved back behind him, and held onto his arms tightly, pushing gently. At Frisk's initial refusal to move, she explained her reasoning quietly. "*I'll try and guide you, we'll get through this, just trust me!" Chara pleaded, her expression matching her voice. Frisk drew a long, deep-breath, and nodded, tiptoeing forward.

He imagined it would look rather odd to the others if they could see Chara- _'like an odd version of three-legged racing'_ Frisk thought with a smile. The girl and boy slowly made their way through the maze clung to each other, one step at a time, his arms slightly outstretched as she directed him painstakingly.

At one part where Frisk thought they were nearing the end, he picked up the pace suddenly, despite his partner's warning. They _both_ cried out in pain at the electric shock, Frisk short and guttural, Chara a high-pitched scream. The girl grasped his arms rather tightly after that. "* _Don't_ do that again." She whispered harshly. Frisk could only nod, numb and half-deaf after her screaming in his ears.

They continued on at a slow and steady pace toward the end. Once Chara was sure they had exited the maze, the two of them collapsed to the floor, mentally exhausted. Papyrus stared at Frisk dumbfounded, his jaw dropped.

After raising his errant jaw back into place with a fist, Papyrus began applauding the boy. "NICELY DONE FRISK! WHY I MIGHT SAY YOU WERE A PUZZLE LOVER LIKE MYSELF! YOU MAY HAVE MADE ONE MISTAKE… BUT YOU CARRIED ON ANYWAY! NOW HERE YOU ARE!" The tall skeleton gushed, overwhelmingly happy at finding someone to beat his puzzle.

Papyrus slowly collected himself from his admiring praise, the huge grin never leaving his face. Frisk looked tiredly at Chara on the ground beside him, and struggled to prevent his own jaw from dropping.

Her brown hair, instead of falling to her shoulders and framing her rosy-cheeked face, was instead stuck out in all directions, puffed out into an agitated sphere around her head. He quickly patted his own head to ensure his own hair wasn't in the same state, and struggled not to do the same for her. Chara was blissfully ignorant to her appearance or Frisk's discomfort, still recovering from the maze.

"…ARE YOU ALRIGHT, FRISK?" Papyrus piped up, one eyebrow ridge raised at the boy's otherwise unexplained antics. Frisk nodded quickly, scolding himself internally for almost giving away his secret, not that anyone could have guessed.

"GOOD! BECAUSE THE NEXT PUZZLE SHALL NOT BE SO EASILY SOLVED! FOR IT IS DESIGNED BY MY BRILLIANT AND CLEVER BROTHER… SANS!" Papyrus exclaimed, wildly and dramatically waving his arms in the direction of the quiet skeleton.

"uh yeah. sure." Sans murmured, waving half-heartedly. Papyrus just groaned at his brother, then turned back to Frisk, saluting smartly. Once this was done, he swivelled on the spot and began quickly marching in the direction of the mesa, disappearing out of sight.

-X-

Frisk just laid there in the snow beside Chara, who was laid on her back and staring at the ceiling-stars. He just stared at her, she seemed calm enough, despite her odd new-hair style, and the slight grimace she was exhibiting. That expression seemed to double in intensity as they heard the slow crunching of approaching footsteps.

Sans stopped a few paces away from the children, looking gently at Frisk. Gone was the smug-grin, replaced by a soft, toothy smile of… gratitude? It was hard for the boy to tell, the skeleton bereft of lips.

"thanks frisk… did you see how happy my brother was? and that was just the one puzzle!" Sans chuckled to himself quietly, looking at the ground with an almost sad glimmer in his dark, pinprick eyes. Frisk got up from the ground stiffly, the cold of the snow aching on his raw hands. He was glad the short skeleton seemed content without his jacket, for Frisk was sure he'd be much worse-off without it. The boy was just glad Chara seemed to be fine, electric shocks and being run through by swords notwithstanding.

Frisk regarded Sans with a tired smile, slowly regaining his energy. "It's alright Sans… it's the least I could do, after you gave me this…" Frisk tugged on the sleeves of the blue jacket. Sans' smile widened as he closed his eyes, chuckling again soundlessly.

"i told you not to worry about it. now i guess I better catch up to papyrus; i promised him that i would give you one puzzle" Sans opened his left eye, leaving his right one winking. "don't worry though, this one's not gonna be as painful" Sans reassured, before slowly turning and trudging in the same direction as his brother.

Frisk watched him go calmly, the pale starlight rendering the skeleton nearly invisible with his white sweater, head and legs. Before long, he too disappeared out of sight.

Chara moved beside Frisk, arms hugged to her chest. "*So he's gone then?" asked the girl simply. Frisk nodded, still watching down the path.

"He really does care for his brother… It's funny just how different they are…" Frisk spoke softly, turning to Chara. He bit his tongue at what he might have said next however, her fuzzy hair style still in place.

Without a word, he moved straight in front of her. Before she could ask him what he was doing, he patted his hands to her scalp, her hair clinging to his hands as he tried to get it into place.

After he was satisfied he was done, he stepped back to assess his handiwork. Were Chara's cheeks… redder than usual? She was pouting, her lips stuck out as her eyes flashed dangerously at him.

"I-I was just putting your hair back to normal! It had all stuck up after we… _I_ got us electrocuted!" Frisk explained quickly, his hands raised in surrender.

"*Oh. Thanks, I guess." Chara said blinking, her mock-outrage quickly replaced by a confident, if a little less energetic grin. Frisk let out a sigh of relief, and matched her expression.

"*I suppose that despite that one little mistake, we're a pretty good team! Now let's go show those two clowns how it's done!" Chara suggested encouragingly, her hand raised for the boy to take. He grasped hold of it firmly, and nodded.

"You're right, we can't be too far now." Frisk agreed resolvedly, smiling as he turned and began walking after the brothers, his friend close beside him.

-X-

The young pair walked across the frozen mesa, ever onward towards the lights of the town, wary of their next meeting with Papyrus and his brother. Chara had pulled away from Frisk at one point to take a look over the edge of the icy plateau, curious as to what was below.

She stared for a long time over the edge, Frisk walking over to her to see what she was captivated by. He noticed her oddly terrified visage as he approached, and felt his anxiety grow quickly as he glimpsed the yawning darkness below.

"Chara… what is it? What do you see?" The boy asked nervously, unable to tear his eyes off the dark abyss. The girl did not respond straight away. When she did, it was but a weak murmur.

"*Frisk…" she rasped. The boy looked around furiously over the edge, uneasy, but unable to discern what had shaken her so.

Suddenly, the girl grabbed his arm tightly and _screeched_. "* **BOO!** " Frisk felt his heart leap up his throat in fright, and yelled himself at the suddenness of it.

As Chara laughed long and loud at her successful prank, Frisk struggled to calm himself down, his heart beating wildly, breathing rapid. This time, it was his turn to pout in embarrassment. He watched as his partner clutched her abdomen, bent over with her raucous mirth.

An idea came to his mind then, a form of revenge. He slowly approached her, she not noticing him. Once he got close enough, with the right angle, he pounced.

Her belly-laughter developed into a startled shriek, into wailing, and then more laughter, pained this time. It was joined by Frisk's own laughter as he tickled her on the stomach into submission, determined to pay her back.

Frisk did not let up until they had both fallen to the floor, Chara struggling to get away, he grasped onto her midsection as he tickled furiously. It was only when they were both face-first into the snow that he began to relent.

"*N-no! S-STOP!" Chara cried, unable to stop Frisk, her weakness found. Frisk smiled devilishly as he let go, and she struggled to get up, still giggling and wheezing slightly at the overstimulation. He couldn't contain a pleased giggle or two of his own at the sight of her.

A fluttering of wings. A scoff, high above them.

Frisk's mirth ended rather abruptly as he realised they were not alone. He stood up straight, anxiety and awareness returning as he peered around for the source of the voice. Chara joined him shortly, still shaking slightly. After a playful elbow to his stomach, she too joined in with the search.

"Now what do you think _you_ were laughing at, huh?" spoke a shrill, whistling voice, the source of which presented itself by flying down, swooping past them threateningly.

Frisk grasped desperately for Chara's hand, who grabbed his back strongly. He was reassured by the presence of his partner, especially with the antics that had gone on just previously.

The monster slowed its flying, coming to a stop in front of them. As it landed on the snow before their gaze, the children were able to finally assess what they were up against.

For all intents and purposes, it was a large bird, with a huge crested face and bright orange eyes. Its body was white and grey, though its face feathers were blue. Above its large, _toothed_ beak was a strangely decorative yellow ridge, almost in the shape of an outstretched man.

It had stubby wings that unbelievably must have allowed the little monster to fly… though they looked no more useful than a chicken's. Finally, its plumage was intermittently covered in black, decorative spots, and it stood on twig-like grey talons, which were dug into the snow before the children.

Compared to the dog-soldiers and even Napstablook, this little guy was rather tame-looking, a fact that Chara made known by scoffing loudly and sneering.

"You think you're funny, don't ya? Well I'll tell you who the _real_ comedian around here is! It's me! Snowdrake!" Cried the now named, overbearing bird as it hopped toward Frisk angrily.

Frisk stood his ground, not much distance behind him until the dark abyss below. He dispelled the nervous tension building in his stomach as thought of a way out of this.

"*I say we kick him in his arrogant little chicken-head! Who does he think he is?!" Chara stormed, Frisk tightening his grip on her hand and frowning. He wouldn't do that.

"Hello Snowdrake, I'm Frisk. I-" the boy didn't have chance to finish his somewhat calming speech as the bird leapt up to his face and squawked, piercingly loud. Frisk reflexively let go of Chara's hand to raise both his arms to his ears, eyes squeezed closed in pain.

As Frisk recovered, his ears ringing, he looked down at Snowdrake, who looked very pleased with himself. He could _feel_ Chara beside him bristle at what the smug bird had just done.

"*What's this guy's problem? If you're not going to hit him, we need to ask him so we can get somewhere Frisk" Chara suggested, gritting her teeth. Frisk nodded painfully, and spoke carefully, one arm outstretched.

"Snowdrake, could you- _No_ don't do that again!" Frisk managed to roll to his side before the loud bird could deafen him once again. How was he supposed to get through to Snowdrake if he wouldn't even let him speak?

"*You ready to take my suggestion yet?" Chara asked grimly, moving to Frisk's side and folding her arms. Frisk wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his jacket, having got a mouthful of snow in the dive.

"Not yet" He said quietly so only Chara could hear. He didn't see if she nodded or not, his attention focused on the slowly approaching Snowdrake.

As the boy and the bird stopped moving toward each other, and merely stared, Frisk opened his arms wide, his lips tight-shut this time. Snowdrake tilted its head in question at the boy's motion.

"Y' ready to stop interruptin' me?" chirped Snowdrake, its eyes glistening as it stared at him. Frisk frowned, but nodded, folding his arms in imitation of his partner. The bird seemed pleased with this, and instead of flying up to attack Frisk with a supersonic squawk, coughed roughly and spoke with a low voice.

"Ahem, so… there was this monster, who told twenty different puns to his friends right? He hoped that at least ten of those puns would make them laugh… you still with me? Well… No pun in ten did." Snowdrake finished what it thought was an immensely funny joke, as much as a smile that could be conveyed through its beak present.

Frisk merely stood there, staring at the bird, mouth and eyes half-open in an unintentional deadpan. Chara was much the same, only she guffawed a few seconds later.

As Snowdrake frowned at Frisk, a slight upset gleam in its eye, the boy smiled, having finally teased out the meaning in the poor joke. At seeing this slow realisation over his audience's face, Snowdrake bounced up and down on its twiggy feet in pleasure.

"Haha! So it wasn't so bad after all! I got that one off of Sans! Speaking of which… you're wearing his jacket… no matter! Want another one?" Snowdrake chattered gleefully, looking up at Frisk with a hopeful glimmer in its orange eyes.

"*This seems to be working, as annoying as he is. I bet no-one else lets him do this… tell terrible jokes. If we humour him, I guess we'd be doing him a favour, right?" Chara proposed slowly, to which Frisk nodded strongly, both for her and for Snowdrake in front of him, who eagerly bounced on his feet at the prospect of doing what he loved.

"Hey, hey! I went to a seafood party last week… and pulled a mussel!" Snowdrake joked once more, hopping excitedly. This time Frisk was ready, and giggled slightly, a hand raised to his mouth, smiling. Snowdrake was only encouraged by this.

"A-another one! Heh, two antennas met on a roof right? They fell in love and got married… The ceremony wasn't much to brag about… at least the reception was excellent!" Snowdrake fired off yet another joke, and this time both children laughed, even though one of them didn't need to. Frisk made the effort to pull off a full belly-laugh this time, partly because it _was_ funny to him, and partly in hopes it would satisfy the little comedian.

It seemed to work, as Snowdrake seemed to deflate, his excitement spent. Frisk's giggles petered out though as he noticed the little monster's glum look.

"Are you alright Snowdrake? Those were good!" Frisk spoke gently but cautiously, wary of being deafened again. The boy slowly approached the bird, crouching down to his level. Snowdrake looked up at Frisk then, his eyes sad.

"Your name's Frisk right?" asked Snowdrake, to which the boy nodded. The monster looked rather sheepish at this, and looked away.

"I'm sorry for screeching at you, I just… Nobody _ever_ lets me tell my jokes! They all tell me I'm bad… that they're nothing compared to my father's… Or my mo-…" Snowdrake couldn't finish the last word, hiccoughing. Frisk smiled sadly at him, and finished approaching the bird, gently patting his hand on Snowdrake's head.

Chara had been a bit wary about Frisk being so forward, but it seemed she was right, and that the bird only needed someone to humour him to get him to lighten up. She was once again impressed with Frisk's perseverance- she wouldn't have been so patient had their positions been reversed. As she watched the scene before her unfold, she concluded with a wistful smile that it was for the best, and endeavoured to watch her partner more closely from now on.

Meanwhile, Snowdrake looked back up at Frisk as he retracted his comforting hand from patting his head. "He-hey! You liked my jokes though, didn't you?" Snowdrake asked pleadingly. Frisk nodded, smiling gently. The bird seemed to puff up proudly at this, ruffling his feathers.

"S-see! They weren't all right! Dad was wrong! I _am_ funny! Haha!" Snowdrake chattered happily, hopping up and down on his feet. Frisk had trouble keeping up with the rapid movement, and spoke before Snowdrake spiralled out of control.

"Why don't you go back to your father, and tell him that someone found you funny? He's bound to turn round what he said about you now!" Frisk said encouragingly. It seemed to have the opposite effect on Snowdrake, who became withdrawn once again.

"I… ran away. I couldn't take it anymore… not after mom… died… he was… he didn't…" Snowdrake mumbled, sinking further and further into himself. Frisk moved quickly before Snowdrake's thoughts could start eating at him, which he had no doubt they would.

As Snowdrake was bundled rather awkwardly into Frisk's arms, both the monster and Chara looked at the boy in surprise. What was he doing?

"You, Snowdrake, are going to go back to your father and tell him how great you are! Tell him someone found you really funny! More funny than they've found anything in this world! T-tell him you love him, and he's bound to take you back! I bet he misses you, and I bet he'll regret ever saying you weren't funny! You know what to do!" Frisk finished his speech with a strong, encouraging smile that reached well past his eyes. He _breathed_ determination then, and Snowdrake had no choice but to obey.

"I…I-! I won't let you down Frisk! I'll show him! Thank you!" stuttered Snowdrake as he scrambled out of Frisk's arms and flew awkwardly away, in a direction that the children could not follow. The bird looked back to see the human boy waving at him, and though he could not see her, a formerly human girl was doing the same.

-X-

Frisk turned to his partner after Snowdrake left out of sight, his energy leaving him, arms hanging bonelessly from his shoulders in a dramatic display of exhaustion.

Chara just smiled at him, her eyes half-closed with the expression- pride. "*Nice one Frisk… I'd like to say you've just helped that little guy out big-time." She spoke softly. Frisk looked at her hopefully.

"You really think so?" He asked, to which she nodded, her trademark lopsided smile snaking its way in over her previously soft one.

"*I wouldn't lie to you, partner. Now what do you say we take a quick rest… and carry on? It can't be too much further…" Chara suggested, moving over to the nearby flat-surface boulders next to the edge of the abyss. Frisk nodded gratefully, following her.

As they sat down, they remained in companionable silence for a while, looking up at the glittering stars above.

Frisk thought of all the times he would have been in trouble without Chara to guide him, to save him. He didn't dare think of where he'd have ended up without her. _'Not here, that's for sure'_ he mused.

He turned his gaze to her then, and was momentarily taken aback to see her staring curiously at him too. They both quickly looked away, and resumed looking anywhere but each other, a flush of embarrassment encroaching over their faces.

The boy felt his spirits soar as he thought that they'd continue to be together as they made their way toward the ultimate goal, so they could free the likes of Snowdrake and his father, Sans, Papyrus, Toriel… Asriel…

Pushing the sudden onslaught of doubt down, he decided to take the lead, offering his hand to Chara. She looked up at him and grinned her rosy grin, grabbing his hand and getting up with him, the two of them rested. They continued toward the ever-growing lights of monster civilisation, ever determined.

-X-

 **A/N:** Hey guys! Sorry for the later update than I'd promised. Had some pretty serious problems arise here, but they're as solved as they can be for now! More time to write at least… As always, if you find a problem/s with this chapter, don't hesitate to leave some criticism so I can fix it and improve!

A big thanks to 'RustyBuckets', 'Jack Hopper', 'Allen Vth', 'TheEmeraldQueen' (who I really wish had a profile so I could PM and thank personally!), 'Arashi-IV of VI', the two guests and 'Imnotraven16'! Thanks to those who followed and favorited too, I hope I can continue to impress you!

The next chapter should be out Saturday or Sunday night. See you then!


	14. Turmoil

Chapter Fourteen – Turmoil

-X-

The children progressed from the relatively narrow mesa where they had met Snowdrake, reaching a wide open plateau from where they had a good view of the monster town. It was close enough that they could make out the individual, brightly coloured buildings, glowing with a strange fluorescence in the faux-starlight.

Frisk couldn't help but pick up the pace as he saw them, lights burning behind the windows. How warm they must be! _'A nice, cosy bed… A hot drink…_ ' These formed the basis of the boy's thoughts, an eager grin as he almost dragged his not-quite-as-enthusiastic partner by the hand.

Chara shared his grin, though it was primarily directed at Frisk's antics. She muffled a quiet giggle at his newfound energy, before gasping as she nearly tripped up at the momentum, her free-hand waving about attempting balance.

Their enthused pace slowed to a near halt as they heard the sound of distant barking, reality crashing hard into them. Frisk and Chara turned their heads one way to another frantically, attempting to determine where the hostile sound had come from. If it had been the patrol from earlier… then they were hot on their trail.

"*I don't think it's coming from behind us, but…" Chara murmured, nervous as she slowly turned to the path in front of them. Frisk was both relieved and tense at the news. As he looked down the path they had to take, he felt his throat tighten in anxiety, and gulped painfully to try and push the feeling away.

Chara noticed this with a lopsided, mirthful grin. "*Hey, we've managed so far! Why are you still so unsure about yourself? We can do this!" She said supportively. Frisk turned to her with an unreadable expression, his eyes half-lidded.

"The dogs… what if they hurt you again? What will I do without you? I… don't want to…" Frisk's mutterings were near incomprehensible, seeming to withdraw into himself as he spoke. Chara's face fell as this developed, frowning.

As she shook her head at his dramatics, she took him into her arms gently, embracing him. She then suddenly squeezed as hard as she could, all the air leaving Frisk's lungs. He lamely tried to push her away, his eyes wide in surprise, but she held her grip tight like a vice.

Shortly after though she relented, parting from him but still holding his arms firmly. She looked him in the eye seriously. "*Better? We've been over this Frisk! They didn't, and _can't_ hurt me anyway, that was just a fluke! It won't happen again, and you _can_ do this!" Chara snarled her speech into his face, hoping that her words would get through to him before his doubts would stagnate.

Frisk stared at her, his wide eyes had become red and watery with his inner turmoil. A moment after she finished, he roughly wiped at his eyes with the sleeves of his jacket, Chara having let go to allow him to do so. When he was finished, his withdrawn look was gone, though the sadness still remained.

"Just… I don't know if I could go on if the worst had happened. Imagine if you were in my place… would you still go on, trying to make friends, save everybody if I or… Asriel were killed?" Frisk's words were spoken quietly, almost as if he didn't want her to hear them.

Her stomach felt like it had turned to ice, as if she had taken a handful of snow and swallowed it. Chara knew what she'd have done. Might have done anyway, had she not had Asriel or Frisk by her side to keep her rooted, show her the way. They were good people, she was not. She was learning from Frisk, but if he were to die…

"*Well it's _not_ going to happen! If either of us should fall, the other one is still here to pick us back up! That's what friends are for, right?" Chara said, smiling cheerily with all her effort, evading his question. Frisk seemed not to notice, because he smiled back at her shakily, so wide that his eyes were squinted closed with the effort.

She felt the vestiges of tears come to her own eyes at the sight of him, the emotions he evoked, and what he had just said. Chara took his right hand with both of hers, squeezing firmly in support. As the spirit seemed to settle back into his posture, and feeling hers return as well, she vowed to never leave him as long as she could.

For her own sake as much as his.

-X-

They continued on in silence, neither sure what to say, content on listening to the occasional yowl of a dog monster in the distance. There was only so much support they could give each other, the risks of their adventure only now ringing acutely in their mind.

Still they pressed on. Surely they would feel far better with a nice bed to sleep in, to take their worries away into the land of dreams? Frisk focused on that thought- it gave him hope, that Chara would still be with him and they would be safe. Chara was less solaced by the thought of sleep, plagued as she was by strange nightmares. At least they would be safe, which she thought was comfort enough.

The large mesa narrowed considerably toward the end, the children not paying it much thought, consumed as they were in thought. What did draw their attention as they reached the edge was the familiar cackling of the Royal-Guard hopeful Papyrus.

Both he and his brother Sans were stood on the edge of another mesa, which was across a large crevasse separating the two pairs. The skeleton-siblings were peering at Frisk with equally cheeky grins, though Papyrus' was perhaps larger, given his tall head.

Frisk and Chara, now drawn from their melancholy thoughts, gazed around their side of the mesa, perplexed. "*What gives? There's no way across! But Sans and Papyrus… Is this the only way past?" Chara asked, the bewilderment raw in her tone. Frisk shrugged, at an equal loss.

"NYEH-HEH-HEH! I CAN SEE YOU ARE CONFOUNDED BY THIS ONE! AS PROMISED, THIS NEFARIOUS PUZZLE WAS DESIGNED BY MY BROTHER SANS, WHO IS A LOT MORE DEVIOUS THAN HE LOOKS… WHEN HE ISN'T SLACKING OFF!" Papyrus called over to them explaining, finishing by playfully fist-bumping Sans on the top of his head. Sans didn't seem to notice, and instead watched Frisk, hands shoved in his pant-pockets.

The two children split up, walking along the edge of their side of the plateau, looking for any contraption or device that might clue them in as to their means of getting across. Despite trying all kinds of angle, squinting, widening his eyes, even attempting to uncover some of the hard-packed snow to find a switch, Frisk could not find a solution. He returned to the point closest to where the brothers were, Chara returning too, shaking her head.

"*It has to be something we can't see, there's no other way out of this place except all the way back. There's something we're missing here…" Chara mused to him thoughtfully, raising her finger below her lip, deep in what Frisk thought must be her 'thinking pose'. Frisk smiled and nodded slightly, understanding what she was doing. He tried a different method.

Frisk turned back to the skeletons- Papyrus appeared to be on the edge of utmost glee, he was rubbing his hands together and watching the boy, his smile reaching past his eyes. Sans however seemed to have remained in the same pose, watching reservedly. He had said nothing so far.

"H-hey Papyrus!" Frisk called over. As soon as he did so, said skeleton stood up straight and saluted smartly, shaking himself out of his reverie.

"YES? HOW CAN I HELP YOU FRISK? ARE YOU _PUZZLED_? I KNOW I AM! NYEH-HEH-HEH!" Papyrus exclaimed, his face frowning but his eyes seeming to pop-out, giving him a rather comical, yet unnerving appearance. Sans seemed to snap out of his vigil at Papyrus' little pun, turning to his brother and winking, saying something too quiet for the boy to hear.

Frisk just blinked at the display, nonplussed. He then smiled, and chuckled to himself- all in all it did _seem_ like this was all a bit of fun to the brothers, and that they weren't out to… He pushed that train of thought down mercilessly, he did not need this right now.

"Please, Mister Papyrus! Could I ask for maybe a little hint? I won't be able to solve your puzzle otherwise!" Frisk asked, gambling on his previous thought. It certainly provoked a strange reaction, as Papyrus seemed to freeze with the question, his eyes bulging out further as he digested what Frisk had said.

He heard Chara move up close beside him as Papyrus gave his response. "A _HINT_? WHY, WHERE WOULD THE FUN IN THAT? DO YOU NOT LIKE PUZZLES? DON'T LEAD ME ALONG HERE, LITTLE HUMAN!" Papyrus called over, an indignant tone shaping his voice. Frisk raised his hands before him instinctively, in a placating gesture.

"N-no! I…uh love your puzzles! I just can't get to see any of the others whilst I'm stuck with this one! So if you give me a little hint… I can enjoy your other puzzles too! I want…!" Frisk stopped himself before he said too much too soon.

Papyrus froze again, his expression indescribable as he thought on what Frisk had said. Chara grasped his hand gently; when he glanced at her he saw a slightly mischievous smirk on her face. Frisk's face fell slightly in response. He knew what she thought he was doing.

He whispered out of the corner of his mouth in Chara's direction. "I want to see if I can make friends with him… like with Sans! I have to get him to trust me!"

Chara responded likewise, whispering. She was not yet quite certain on Sans' awareness of her. "*I _see_ that, I'm just not sure if he'll fall for it, or if his brother will let him!" Her tone was lightly disparaging, though she squeezed his hand as Papyrus finally called back.

"WOWIE… YOU _MUST_ REALLY LOVE PUZZLES THEN, IF YOU SO DEARLY WANT TO SEE MORE OF MINE!" Papyrus exclaimed with a wavering voice, his expression hopeful. Sans looked at his brother from the corner of his eye at what he said, but otherwise did nothing, and returned to grinning at Frisk.

What Papyrus did next though made him reflexively reach out, taking a couple of steps forward.

"wait! bro!" Sans spoke louder than Frisk had ever heard him yet, his tone and expression concerned all of a sudden. This was because Papyrus, who had recovered from Frisk's plea, straightened his posture, huffed, and marched toward the edge.

Frisk cried out, Chara gasped. Papyrus marched straight off the edge of his side of the crevasse, head held high as he descended into the dark abyss.

Except that he didn't descend.

Frisk opened his eyes, peeking from behind the cage of his fingers. Praying that the loud skeleton hadn't just fallen to his demise, he removed his hand, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets at what he saw.

Papyrus was marching with a stern expression straight toward him. Only he was seemingly doing this in mid-air, stood on nothing as he made his way across the crevasse.

Chara recovered first, letting go of Frisk's hand as she walked up to the edge where Papyrus would reach them from. She kneeled down and tentatively reached over into the abyss, to find her fingers contacting solid ground. Tilting her head one way and another, her smile grew to a toothy grin as she figured out the puzzle's secret- it was a cleverly painted bridge that appeared as if it was just a part of the crevasse and the mesa edges!

Chara arose from where she knelt energetically, happy that with the hint, they had found the solution! She let out a happy squeal as she turned back to Frisk, making the move back to her partner.

She froze at what she saw.

Frisk was clenched in a tight hug around Papyrus' midsection, the skeleton having made his way across. Papyrus didn't seem to know what to do with the boy's forward behaviour, his gloved arms raised high as if he were surrendering.

"AH… FRISK? HUMAN? ARE YOU OKAY? YOU DO NOT NEED TO DO THAT… FOR I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AM QUITE ALRIGHT! IT WAS JUST THE TRICK OF THE PUZZLE, HAVE NO FEAR! I…" Papyrus' bewildered expression became distraught as he gently pried Frisk's head away from his chest. The boy was crying.

"You… I! I thought!" Frisk was unable to convey any semblance of a proper sentence, as upset as he was. The boy didn't know how much more of this he could take; first his best friend Chara, now Papyrus! He had to force himself to think that he hadn't just seen Papyrus hurt. He hadn't seen him fall to his demise. He was still here, and Frisk was hugging him tight.

Amazingly, Frisk managed a strangled laugh despite his churning distress. If Papyrus sincerely wanted to catch him for whatever evil deeds, he had the most ample opportunity to do so now. Instead, the tall skeleton tentatively placed one of his gloved hands on Frisk's back, the other wrapping around the boy in an awkward return of the hug.

"IT… IT'S QUITE OKAY FRISK! I… I… YOU KNOW THE SOLUTION TO THE PUZZLE NOW, AND I AM STILL HERE! WHAT DO YOU SAY WE MOVE ON, HMM? YOU… I…" Papyrus seemed to gulp, his jaw quavering with the raw emotion he was experiencing. This was new to him, he had never had anyone that wasn't his brother break down to _him_ like this! Not even Undyne showed anything like this to him! Whatever could it mean?

"W-WHAT DO YOU SAY TO SOME DINNER LATER? AFTER I CAPTURE YOU OF COURSE! IT WILL BE MADE BY YOURS TRULY, THE GREAT MASTER CHEF PAPYRUS!" The tall skeleton said half-cheerily as Frisk pulled his head away, smiling with his watery, tear-covered lips trembling. The boy nodded briskly, taking his hands away so he could brush furiously at his tears.

Papyrus straightened once again, turning and marching away over the crevasse quickly. As he marched, Chara ran to Frisk and caught him before he fell onto the ground, hugging him tightly.

The tall skeleton halted halfway across the bridge, his head turned to the side so he could glance at Frisk. His skull-face bore a barely-masked troubled expression, and he spoke quieter than he did previously. "I WILL SEE YOU UP AHEAD, FRISK." Was all Papyrus said, marching off with less gusto than before.

This time, the children were not graced with the echo of cackling as the younger skeleton brother disappeared into the night.

-X-

Frisk hugged Chara, wordlessly feeding off her wellspring of support. He cared little for the familiar crunch of approaching footsteps, he was feeling too fragile for the usual hiding-games, especially given what Chara had said earlier.

As Sans' footsteps halted just behind him, Frisk let go of his partner, looking into her red eyes. She nodded, understanding. The boy responded with a shaky, appreciative smile, his eyes still watery.

He arose from the floor, trembling. His hand clung to Chara's as she squeezed anxiously at the presence of the person that had unnerved her so. They turned and faced him together.

"well this was a good puzzle, by my standards. It's not much work fixing it up and keeping it running, which is just fine by me." Sans jibed, raising his hands in a shrug, looking up to the sky.

He then looked back down, regarding Frisk with a soft grin, one side of his mouth raised higher than the other. "hey, you did a good job there kid. i think my brother likes you at least… seems you're dead serious about the whole 'becoming friends' thing huh?" He spoke with a gentle tone, seemingly out of sympathy for Frisk's emotional state.

The boy nodded slowly at Sans' statement, the skeleton closing his eyes and breathing out in a soundless chuckle. "well i'd say you're well on the way to doing that. i'm rooting for ya frisk, i really am." Sans said reassuringly, opening one eye and leaving the other closed in a lazy wink, as he liked to do. Frisk smiled slightly, but was only slightly heartened by the elder skeleton brothers' words.

"I… Sans… thank you. But… what if I try to be friends, and he still wants to capture me? I don't… I…" Frisk stuttered, unable to finish his dreaded words. Sans merely opened his eyes, looking at Frisk, seeming to consider his words.

Chara squeezed Frisk's hand once again, watching her partner with concern. "*We don't want to hurt him, do we? If he fights us, we…" She stopped her analytical words as Sans seemed to reel back all of a sudden, his eyes wide.

Both children watched as Sans recovered, the skeleton closing his eyes once again and speaking evenly. "huh. never quite thought that far. so you want to know how to get through to papyrus? to know how to fight him? well, here's some insider advice."

Frisk and Chara felt their thick emotion whisked away by pure shock as Sans heavily placed his skeletal hands on _both_ their shoulders, the smacking sound from the action ringing out.

Sans opened his eyes and looked between them. His eyes were completely black.

" **Don't.** "

At the familiar sound of the guttural voice in their heads, both children recoiled from Sans' grip, squeezing their eyes shut in reflex. When they opened them again, Sans had gone.

-X-

At least the molasses of his thick, tired emotions had been shaken out of him, Frisk had thought. Quite literally too; he didn't know whether to think that what had just happened was his imagination, or if there was significantly more to Sans than initially met the eye, and that Chara was right to be afraid.

Chara meanwhile was coming to terms with what had just happened once again. This time she was _definitely_ sure Sans was aware of her presence, though he seemed to ignore her the rest of the time. As he had grabbed her shoulder, the prickling feeling on her back seemed to intensify tenfold, she felt rooted to the spot, as if he were holding her down.

Sans terrified her, despite his usual outward appearance and personality. "*I wonder… you definitely saw and felt that too right?" Chara asked Frisk, wanting to disbelieve the experience. Frisk nodded, his eyes still wide.

"I definitely believe you now… I don't think he means us harm though… I mean he gave me this, and he could have stopped us way earlier, especially since he seems to know you're with me!" Frisk said reasonably, tugging on his borrowed jacket. Chara still looked unconvinced.

"*I say we keep our eyes on him… or at least I do. Maybe you ought to ask him about it at some point, his vanishing trick. Though I doubt he'd tell you" Chara suggested unsurely, clinging onto Frisk's hand. The prickling feeling had still not gone away, and she still felt anxious. The sooner they got into the town, the better.

Frisk squeezed back, and gazed downward. He bore an apologetic look to Chara's surprise, his lips pressed tightly together as he seemed to work up something to say.

"Chara… I'm sorry for earlier, getting so upset… It's a little embarrassing to think how _easily_ I just break down…" Frisk mumbled, reproaching himself internally at the sensation of the tears creeping back.

The girl just shook her head, rolling her eyes. "*Frisk, that's what makes you, _you_. It just shows you're a good person, that you feel those things. It means you're strong, that you'd want to be friends despite what they said or did. Look at Snowdrake, I think you've turned his life right around, being the big cry baby you are!" Chara finished her encouraging speech with a vigorous nod to accentuate the point, the ribbon in her hair fluttering.

Frisk just stared at her, noticing the wistful undertones to her voice and gait. He knew though, that this was a team-effort, he could never have done this without her, whereas he believed she could get through it alone, though he could not foresee how.

He hugged her once again, she hugging back. Once again, he felt his resolve trickle back into him, and with Chara's guidance, they cautiously moved over the clever little bridge illusion that had kept them here in turmoil for so long. The sanctuary of the town awaited.

-X-

 **A/N** : In my opinion, this was a fairly sub-par chapter. I don't think my idea here was actually any good in hindsight, and I don't think I executed or wrote it very well. But let me know what you think, don't go easy on the criticism, this was hard to write and I want to know how I can do it better!

A big thanks to: 'TheEmeraldQueen', 'AnyOtherTime', 'allen Vth', 'Guest', 'imnotraven16', 'RustyBuckets' and 'Arashi-IV of VI' for their lovely reviews and comments. Once again though, a huge thank you to 'RoxyConan-Kun' for their words of support! Thank you to all of those who favorited and followed too! I hope this chapter wasn't too bad…

So, the next chapter could be out either Monday or Tuesday night. Getting close to Christmas now, maybe there'll be a Christmas chapter too? See you until then!


	15. Puzzleteir

Chapter Fifteen – Puzzleteir

-X-

The weariness was now really starting to pull at Frisk. It lashed at him periodically, leaving him wondering if he'd escaped it, only to close over him once again, heavier than before. He was surprised Chara didn't seem as exhausted as he, but she walked beside him, head held high, unlike his.

He had looked back as they passed through a particularly narrow outcrop, the path thinning to barely enough foot-space for one person. As he gazed over his shoulder, he couldn't make out the woods where they had entered in from, not even one of the tall, spindly trees. Just broken, alabaster hills leading upward. They had come far.

The children shared only the occasional word of comfort, preferring to spare their time in getting to the town as soon as possible. Too caught up in his own thoughts, focussed on the path in front of him, Frisk barely noticed Chara grab his hand.

They were about to cross over a rather rickety-looking bridge, constructed out of what appeared to be rotting plywood. Chara had stopped him from stepping onto it automatically, holding fast to him. He looked up at her tiredly, hunched over slightly, about to voice his thanks. He froze at her expression.

She was staring at something intently, squinting her eyes so narrow they were barely a red and white crescent, veiled by her eyelashes. Why were they red? Her cheeks so rosy? He pondered this intensely, drunk with fatigue as he was, not even bothering to question what had caught her attention.

Chara tilted her head to face him, and started almost unnoticeably as she noticed him gazing at her. She blinked, eyes wide, and slapped his cheek gently with her free hand, shaking him out of his reverie. He snorted at the sensation, shaking the metaphorical wool from his eyes. What was that?

"*Hey, Chara to Frisk, wake up partner! There's someone up ahead!" She spoke softly but quickly, removing her hand from his cheek and pointing at something ahead of her. Frisk followed her outstretched arm, peering ahead.

On the other side of the short bridge, the path seemed to level out finally- they had been walking down a slight gradient for quite some time. In the distance, the town seemed to finally be on-level with them, and closer than ever before, the broken mesas stopping just short of its boundaries.

' _It can't be more than a couple of miles away!'_ Frisk thought excitedly, feeling the adrenaline flowing into him, an almost dizzying feeling combined with everything else. His uplifted spirits stopped short as he finally spotted what Chara was concerned about.

Two, dark figures. Cloaked in all black, holding long-handled axes, the head of which was almost as big as Frisk's body, the handles as long as the figures were tall. Frisk calmed himself down as he noticed he couldn't see their faces- they were turned in the opposite direction. They appeared from this distance to be an almost comical stereotype of death, a fact which both children recognised, shivering as they did so.

They were… holding hands? Frisk would have thought it nice, were they not so menacing. Slowly, they both retreated from the weak bridge, glancing around for an alternative route. There wasn't any. Frisk gulped as he realised they would have to pass through them if they had any chance of getting to the town. Where were Papyrus and Sans when they needed them?

The thought of Papyrus set Frisk on edge, melancholy seeping into him- he hadn't needed Sans' intimidation to dissuade him from fighting the outspoken skeleton. The boy had no intention whatsoever of doing so; he hoped dearly that instead he had got through to him, and they could be friends. Chara, despite her fear of the shorter brother, seemed to like him too.

Frisk was brought to the fore from his daydream by the girl, who had squeezed his hand so hard it felt numb after she did so. He pouted at her painfully, to which she just deadpanned at him, brow set in mild reproach.

"*Stay focussed Frisk. Unless you want to wait until they're gone, I think we're going to have to get past them. They look like guards, probably on the lookout for humans like yourself." Chara spoke clearly, her brow now furrowed in thought. Frisk knew by now that she was definitely better at planning things like this than he, as clouded by emotion and tired as he was. Not that this was a bad thing- he frowned at something she said.

"Chara… _You're_ human too…" He whispered harshly, not wanting to draw the attention of the guards but wanting to drive his point home. Chara looked taken aback for a moment, before it devolved into a wistful smile. Frisk's frown deepened as he gauged her self-analysis. Clearly she thought differently.

"*Maybe. Listen, how do you want to go about this? I'm thinking… you've got Sans' jacket right? They had to have seen him pass by here with Papyrus earlier… So they'll see that he gave it to you. There might be nothing to worry about! Besides… trying has to be better than _waiting_ to be caught." Chara suggested reasonably, evading what Frisk had said.

Despite his disappointment at her disbelief of his statement, Frisk concentrated on the matter at hand. Now wasn't the time to get caught up in an argument, whilst two deadly-looking guards stood mere yards away. He thought quickly, unconsciously tugging on the sleeves of his jacket. It was a good idea. The only one they had, and the boy didn't fancy striking it out here in the cold, where he would inevitably fall asleep, only to get captured… or worse.

Squeezing Chara's hand in an attempt to reassure them both, he gave his partner as confident a smile as he could, and led her carefully over the bridge.

-X-

As they crept toward the dark figures, Frisk's ears pricked at the low sound emanating from them. He slowed down to a stop, clenching his locked hand gently and waving the other in a gesture for silence at Chara's questioning look.

He could hear them talking, but the subject matter was nothing remotely professional, nor was it menacing. As Frisk and Chara listened in on the conversation, both children's faces fell, not out of fear, but out of bafflement.

"Oh Dogamy! You do say the sweetest things sometimes… Come here, give me a smooch!" cooed the slightly shorter cloaked figure, an effeminate voice muffled by fabric.

"Dogaressa, my wife… You are… the most beautiful…" The larger cloaked figure, apparently named Dogamy, was rather forcefully grappled by the other in an awkward embrace, their hooded heads locked together. It didn't take a wise mind to figure out what they were doing, and Frisk averted his gaze, flushing. Chara meanwhile just made a choking, gagging sound as she too realised what was happening.

The pretence of fear had been all-but shattered by this display, despite the axes, and the cloaks. Frisk coughed into his fist, still not looking at the pair. It took them a while to finish, slowly turning toward the children, whispering sweet-nothings to each other.

As soon as they noticed the boy however, they immediately snapped into action. They stood rigid, flourishing their axes in a strangely well-coordinated display- finishing by holding the weapons at the ready in both hands. During their little parade, both of their hoods had come off, revealing the monsters beneath.

Frisk felt his weary heart sink slightly at the sight of the couple, both dog-monsters like Doggo and the patrol from earlier. That fact, combined with Chara's earlier statement did not encourage him in the slightest; Dogamy and Dogaressa were _definitely_ all-business, despite the cheesy conversation the children had eavesdropped on!

Dogamy was slightly larger than his partner, though seemed more laid-back in his posture. He had a little quiff of white fur on top of his head, not dissimilar to a more human hairstyle. He also seemed to have a little, gentleman's moustache below his little black nose, to Frisk's mild amusement. Dogaressa was slightly smaller, but her posture and expression were far more hostile, her eyes narrowed. The only defining characteristic about her, other than she was a white dog similarly to her partner, was her very long eyelashes, which fluttered as she blinked.

"Who are _you_?" snapped Dogaressa sternly, her beady brown eyes boring into Frisk, as if she could uncover all his little secrets. Gulping, squeezing his held-hand and raising the other in placation he shakily answered.

"I-I'm Frisk, ma'am! I-I just wanted to pass through-" Frisk's meek little explanation was interrupted by Dogaressa's snarling growl. The aggressive dog-monster leered toward the boy dangerously, brandishing her axe before her.

Frisk stood firm, if only because Chara had held him in place. His partner had moved behind him, twisting her held hand, and wrapping the other around his abdomen in a supportive embrace. He could feel her cool breath on his right ear. "* _It will work, don't be afraid._ " She whispered.

As Frisk grimaced, steadfast against the guard's intimidation, Dogaressa snapped once more. " _You're_ not asking the questions here, _I am!_ What even are you? You will answer the royal-" She was interrupted from her incensed exclamations by Dogamy, who held one furred hand on Dogaressa's shoulder, and the other on the head of her axe, he having dropped his weapon to the ground.

"Take it easy, 'ressa. He's wearing Sansy's jacket, see! Remember when he passed through here earlier, not wearing it? This is the guy he must have given it to!" Dogamy spoke quickly, dissuading his partner from any pre-emptive action. Dogaressa seemed to deflate slightly at her husband's words, standing straight, but not lightening her expression.

"I've never seen him before though Dogamy! We're supposed to just trust Sans' judgment here? What if he's a _human_?" Dogaressa whined, staring at Frisk the whole time. The boy tensed at her words, what could he say that would further dissuade her?

"*You're a friend of Sans and Papyrus' from New Home, and you've gone the long way round by accident- you're going to meet up with them now! Don't say anything about being a human or not, that'll probably just raise their suspicion." Chara advised quietly into Frisk's ear, squeezing her arms around him reassuringly.

Frisk decided to try that, and relayed stutteringly what Chara had suggested. Dogaressa's stern scowl of hostility developed into one of disbelief, one brow raised. Dogamy on the other hand seemed to nod at his answer, accepting it.

"Pretty long way to go from New Home, why, did the Riverman take you too far? Why didn't you tell him to stop by Snowdin?" Dogaressa questioned, sceptical. Frisk was starting to feel way out of his depth, being questioned about all these places, by a menacing guard. Thankfully, his partner seemed to know what to say.

"*Never heard of a 'Riverman'… Guess he uses a boat to… Yes! That's it! Tell her you… slept! Slept the whole journey, and by the time you woke up, you were much further upstream of Snowdin!" Chara suggested enthusiastically, squeezing him again. Frisk hoped the guards wouldn't notice her doing that…

Frisk relayed Chara's next suggestion, attempting to look as calm as possible, softening his expression. It seemed to work, as Dogaressa appeared to finally relent on her hostility, returning her axe to standing on the ground, one hand propping it up.

"I guess he would do something like that, absent-minded as he is. Next time, don't sneak up on us like that! Shoo!" Dogaressa said, dismissing Frisk with a wave of her hand. Frisk didn't hesitate to walk past quickly, noticing the pair getting close together again. He didn't want to see that!

"See you later, little guy! Say hi to Sansy for us, and take a bath! You smell funny…!" Frisk flushed and ducked his head as the dog couple chuckled, and Chara burst out into raucous laughter at Dogamy's words. As Frisk moved, it wasn't long before their chuckling faded away, even though Chara's did not.

-X-

"*He's right though, you _do_ smell funny." Chara teased Frisk, his blush deepening as his hair obscured his eyes. The boy mumbled something quietly, the girl not quite being able to hear it. "*What was that?" She said, toothy smirk still present.

"I _don't_ smell that bad… It's just been a while since… I had a bath." Frisk mumbled a little louder this time, the hidden meaning not lost on Chara. She reeled back slightly, her mirthful features softening into a lopsided smile.

"*Hey, don't worry about it, it was just a joke anyway. Besides, I'm sure in-town you'll be able to get yourself clean… stinky!" Her soft reassurance gained bite with the last word, and she elbowed him gently, giggling. Frisk smiled wistfully at her, saying nothing as they trudged forward.

Chara continued. "*That was a close one though! Glad old ' _Sansy_ ' gave you that jacket now, he can't be all bad after all…" She reminisced, looking to the starlit ceiling and smiling. Frisk glanced at her, her eyes glittering in the light, rosy cheeks and green sweater clashing with the surroundings. He felt his smile widen seeing her like this- at least she seemed happier than she did earlier.

"You really saved the day back there… partner. I can't wait till we get to… Snowdin, was it?" Frisk spoke, tearing away his gaze before Chara caught him staring. She turned her back to him, they both still walking along the path.

"*Think that's what she said, Dogaressa was it? I don't remember it being there when I was still…" Chara's words petered out before she could finish- she didn't need to. Frisk quickly tried to divert the topic.

"What was that place you told me to say I was from? New Home? Is that a town?" Frisk asked, withholding the last question. ' _Who names a place_ _ **that**_ _?'_ He thought amusedly, though he admonished himself for the lack of respect. Who knows, it could be their capital?

Chara seemed to sneer lightly at the mention of the name, yet her eyes softened further, and now she looked at the ground like he had done. Frisk was starting to regret asking the question, until she answered him gently.

"*It's the name king-dad gave to the capital city, when we settled there. It… it was a good place to be, but…" She turned her head again to look at him, a weak smile now on her face.

' _King-dad? Her father was the king?!_ ' Frisk thought with surprise, but waited for her to finish before he spoke. He now fully regretted asking the question, her good mood from earlier seemingly gone. The curiosity would have eaten at him… but had he known it would pain her so…

"*…We wanted more, you know? That's part of why me and Asriel came up with the plan, you see! He… He always wanted to see what the surface was like… But I…" Chara continued almost _eagerly_ , stopping herself suddenly at the end. She had stopped walking, and was squeezing her eyes shut hard. ' _*I won't cry in front of Frisk! I'm supposed to be the strong one, remember?!'_ Tears worked their way behind her eyelids, begging for release.

Frisk grabbed both her hands, squeezing gently. He was mesmerised- he couldn't imagine what she was feeling right now, having never experienced anything like what she had. Certain he was though, that they would succeed if they worked together, as they had been doing. Embracing her, he felt her tears escape onto his shoulder, she burying her head into his neck.

They just stood there for a while, Frisk determined to stand strong despite his exhaustion, for as long as his partner needed. She was ever so slightly warm, her shaky breath down the back of his neck.

After what seemed like hours, whereby Frisk had almost fallen asleep holding comfortably onto his partner, Chara withdrew from his hold, clutching his hands once again. Frisk spoke first.

"I'm sorry, I… didn't mean to bring this up now…" Frisk apologised quietly, to which Chara shook her head slowly, her expression now quite tired, though there was the vestiges of a smile present on her lips.

"*There's nothing to be sorry for, I just… Regret, you know? I regret everything didn't go right. I don't even _remember_ why it didn't, but…" Chara spoke sadly, looking at their intertwined hands. This time, Frisk shook his head, his dirty hair flopping from side to side unevenly.

"Hey, this time, we're going to finish what you and Asriel started, _together_. Remember that Chara… Besides, if it hadn't gone wrong, I wouldn't have met you." Frisk stressed to her, clenching his hands. He smiled after he finished, relishing the way her cheeks seemed to become more rosy at his reassurance.

"*Yes, I wouldn't have met your smelly-self. Guess it worked out in some ways, looking on the bright side… You still need a bath though" Chara maintained, more positivity creeping into her tone. She let go of one of his hands, using her free hand to pinch her nose. As she scrunched up her face in an exaggerated display of disgust, Frisk giggled quietly, starting to pull away back down the path.

As Chara moved to follow him, Frisk digested what she had said earlier. 'King-dad'… That means Toriel had been a _Queen_! He resolved to ask her about this another time, when they weren't so tired and miserable. After all… if he was dragging around the Princess of the monsters right now, he ought to show a little more respect!

-X-

The children's pace had quickened in excitement as they rounded a small grove of fir trees, to see the last of their journey toward the town laid out for them. A series of tall rocky outcrops with fairly large flat surfaces atop, each connected by long-wooden bridges; this was what remained of their long trek.

Them and Papyrus.

Papyrus stood to attention before the bridge to the first outcrop, one hand flat above his eyes in an almost-salute, peering around. As his face brightened at spotting Frisk, it became apparent he had been waiting for the boy. His mouth seemed to be chattering away excitedly, but they could not hear what he was saying. The two children smiled to each other, and walked toward the skeleton.

It wasn't long after they had started moving, when they noticed Papyrus marched rapidly toward them, intercepting the children before they had even made it a quarter of the original distance toward the tall monster.

"GREETINGS FRISK! I SEE YOU ARE AS EAGER AS ALWAYS!" Papyrus chirped cheerily, his gloved hand outstretched before him, thumbs-up. The skeleton's eyes seemed to bulge-out as Papyrus spoke again.

"EAGER TO BE THOROUGHLY JAPED ONCE AGAIN BY THE GREAT PAPYRUS! NYEH-HEH-HEH!" Papyrus cackled to himself, his mirth bringing a smile to both children's faces, despite what he may mean. Frisk giggled slightly, and moved up closer to him, now relatively unafraid of him.

"It's good to see you too Papyrus. No more puzzles where it looks like you're about to fall off a cliff though, please…" Frisk spoke softly, yet loudly enough that Papyrus could hear him over his laughter.

Papyrus stopped suddenly at hearing the boy's words, staring at him mouth agape. "E-EH? IT'S GOOD TO… WHY IT _IS_ GOOD TO SEE ME, THE GREAT PAPYRUS! COME FRISK, I HAVE ANOTHER PUZZLE FOR YOU TO SOLVE! MAYBE THIS TIME, I'LL CAPTURE YOU!" Papyrus' stuttered speech seemed to make Chara grin, and Frisk smile wider. The tall skeleton then beckoned the boy to follow him, walking toward the bridge slowly.

As the children trailed after Papyrus, Chara piped up curiously. "*Hey Frisk… I don't see Sans anywhere… I wonder what he's up to?" She said, pouting her lower lip out quizzically. The boy looked around curiously at her words, puzzled himself at where the short skeleton could be. Frisk's uncertainty about Sans' words earlier, and his disappearing act now deepened his suspicions. Nothing for it now but to move on however- hopefully Sans would explain the mystery later, or at least be less menacing next time!

They followed Papyrus until he stopped several yards before the bridge. Only now could the children see why; a series of lightly painted paving stones were half-buried into the ground, and sharp spikes were obstructing the path onto the bridge. They would have to solve a pressure plate puzzle before they could cross.

"NYEH-HEH-HEH! YOU OBSERVE MY MASTERFULLY CREATED PLATE-PUZZLE! HOWEVER! IT IS NOT ANY OLD PLATE-PUZZLE, FOR I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, HAVE MADE SOME MODIFICATIONS! YOU WILL HAVE TO FIGURE OUT THE SOLUTION FOR YOURSELF, FOR I WILL MOST CERTAINLY, DEFINITELY NOT GIVE YOU ANY HINTS!" Papyrus explained proudly, standing tall with one fist against his chest.

"*Tell him we've done ones like this before, and they're boring!" Chara said snidely, sticking her tongue out at Frisk's frowning response. Instead, he turned to Papyrus and smiled.

"Only if you give me a bit of time to do it! I'll figure it out, don't you worry Mister Papyrus!" Frisk chirped, his words more energetic than he felt. Chara snickered at his refusal to use her suggestion.

Papyrus merely stood there, rigid as the boy and his unseen companion moved toward his puzzle. "WOWIE… HE REALLY IS A PUZZLE-LOVER… WHY I… HMM…" Papyrus muttered to himself thoughtfully, though it was more of a loud speech. Thankfully for him, neither child heard it. The tall skeleton was distressed- could he even use the last trap on the boy? He should… but he didn't think he wanted to anymore.

As Papyrus pondered this, the children were assessing the puzzle. There was one, unmarked pressure plate aside from all the others, with a small wooden sign affixed to the ground next to it. "*'Only green is the key. The grey plate is the lock to open the path'." Chara read the sign out for Frisk, after which they both turned to the array of pressure plates on the puzzle.

The one by the sign was grey, which Frisk figured must be 'the lock'. The others, some were red, some were blue, and some were green. He turned to Chara and shrugged. "Nothing else but to try it, I guess. We'll figure this out." Frisk whispered, to which the girl nodded.

Thinking on the hint given by the puzzle, Frisk made for the nearest green plate, though he had to step on a red one to get to it. Once he was stood on the green plate, he looked back to see that the red plate was still depressed into the ground. As Chara slowly walked up to him, looking at the two plates he had stood on, it dawned on Frisk just how much more complicated this puzzle was than it initially appeared.

"*I'm _hoping_ that standing on the grey plate back there resets it, otherwise I guess giggle-bones over there would be laughing at us. I think… Can I…?" Chara said thoughtfully as she moved onto a blue plate next to Frisk. Unsurprisingly, it did not sink into the ground, though it did seem to shift slightly.

"*Well there goes that plan. Looks like we're going to have to do this properly, and not cheat!" Chara smirked, to which Frisk rolled his eyes slightly. The boy quickly moved over to the grey plate and stepped on it, which thankfully made the coloured plates rise back out of the ground. To their shared disappointment, the spikes did not fall however.

And so it was that after numerous attempts to get step on the plates in the correct method that Frisk was just one long-step away from victory. All the green plates were pressed into the ground, and none of the others. However, he was stood on one such green plate, a blue plate between him and the snowy ground of success.

Frisk doubted he would be able to make the jump, or step long enough to reach the other side without falling over. It was clear that this puzzle was designed for taller people… such as the one who had made it.

The hesitation clearly showed on his face, as Chara moved up next to him and smiled encouragingly. "*Hey Frisk. I know you can do it! You just have to make the one step, and we'll have made it!" She said optimistically. Frisk shook his head.

"I don't think I can get there without falling over though! It's impossible!" Frisk whined to her quietly, desperation gracing his features. Chara thought on this for a moment, looked between the distance he would have to go, and then back at the boy.

"*If I support you… Can you quickly make it? I don't know if I'll be able to hold you, weak as my ghost-self is… or if the added weight will just press the plate I'm standing on." Chara offered hesitantly, waving to the ground between them. Frisk thought for a moment, a dubious look on his face, but gave in shortly, nodding.

"It's the only way that will work. Sorry Chara." Frisk agreed, readying himself. Chara just nodded and sighed at his apology, her arms outstretched to support him.

He made the long step, his foot making the distance, but hovering over the ground. Frisk was leaning heavily onto Chara, who nearly stumbled at his applied weight. It only increased as the boy made to complete the step, tilting dangerously to the side as he went. By the time Frisk had made it to the other side, both children were thoroughly exhausted; Frisk at the sheer concentration and his latent fatigue, and Chara at the immense toll holding up a physical body as a ghost took on her.

Frisk was doubled-over, hands on his thighs as he drew up his energy to continue. Chara was in a similar position, breathing heavily with the exertion. As they both arose, the children smiled at one another tiredly- the puzzle had been solved successfully thanks to their teamwork, all that remained was to press the grey plate.

"Thanks Chara…" Frisk mouthed to the girl, wary of the now on-looking Papyrus. He hoped that the skeleton hadn't heard him talking earlier. Chara just nodded tiredly, her lopsided smile returning. The boy returned the expression, and trudged over to the plate.

At the satisfying clunking noise of the spikes retreating into the earth, puzzle-solved, Papyrus began applauding, clapping together his gloved hands. "WELL DONE FRISK! YOU CERTAINLY LOVE PUZZLES, JUST AS I! YOU ALSO TALK TO YOURSELF WHILST DOING THEM, LIKE I DO! IT SEEMS YOU AND I ARE VERY ALIKE! TELL ME, DO YOU LIKE SPAGHETTI?" Papyrus questioned.

Frisk sweated a little at the realisation that Papyrus _had_ heard him talking, but was glad that he hadn't figured out that he was talking _to_ someone. He was perplexed at the question however.

"I've never eaten spaghetti before Papyrus, but it sounds nice I guess…" Frisk said uncertainly. Papyrus gasped dramatically at Frisk's words, and even seemed to perform a little jig on the spot, worked up.

"REALLY?! YOU'VE NEVER… WELL THEN I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL DEMONSTRATE THE CULINARY PERFECTION THAT IS 'SPAGHETTI'! AFTER I… AFTER I CAPTURE YOU!" Papyrus started excitedly, but seemed to deflate from his normal enthusiasm when he remembered his goal, eyes darting around, deeply conflicted.

"I… I'LL SEE YOU UP AHEAD FRISK!" The skeleton then marched off, the normal energy that the children had become accustomed to seemingly dissipated.

As Papyrus walked out of earshot, Frisk turned to Chara, somewhat concerned. She however seemed pleased with the development. "*It looks like what we're doing is working, if we want to avoid fighting him. I think he likes you Frisk!" The girl chirped mirthfully. Frisk's face lightened with her words, and then regarded her with a hopeful smile.

"I hope so… I hope to become friends, then maybe… Maybe he could help us!" Frisk surmised, the cheer filling his tone. Chara looked stunned at this, her eyes and mouth open wide. Her surprise turned into an eager, toothy grin at Frisk's revelation.

"*Maybe he could, down the line! More friends to help out is always better, and I'm sure if you can befriend Papyrus, then Sans will help too!" Chara affirmed, nodding enthusiastically. Both children grinned at each other then, eagerly moving past the spikes and over the bridge, following the skeleton who they soon hoped would be their friend.

-X-

 **A/N:** Sorry for the wait, I was just weighing up what to do about certain elements in this chapter. Hopefully it's good, and you enjoyed this chapter! If there's anything bad about it, or something you disagree with, please tell me so!

A big thanks to: 'jack hopper', 'Akayuki Novak', 'allen Vth', 'erenia0324', 'Guest', 'imnotraven16', 'TheEmeraldQueen' and 'RustyBuckets' for their lovely comments! Furthermore, I'd like to thank 'RoxyConan-Kun' and 'Pisan Mercenary' for their suggestions and messages! Thanks to those who followed and favorited too, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

If the next chapter isn't out by Christmas Eve (I'm aiming for then), then Merry Christmas everyone! I'll see you later!


	16. Sanctuary

Chapter Sixteen – Sanctuary

-X-

As the children crossed the first bridge, their enthusiasm waned, replaced with apprehension. The crossing was similar to the previous, far shorter bridge, constructed of large wooden planks joined together with tight hemp rope, which also formed the handles either side.

The problem was that the bridge was so long and _unstable_ ; the moment Frisk stepped onto it, the flimsy construction had begun to sway from side to side. ' _How did Papyrus walk over this so easily?! He's much bigger than I am!_ ' Frisk's mind raced. Once again, they were stuck- they either moved over this deathtrap, so close to their goal, or they went all the way back.

Chara could see the fear clearly in his posture, even stood behind him. His shoulders were straight, rigid, his hands clenched tightly to the rope. She had to admit… looking down… the dark oblivion below yawned ready to take them should the bridge collapse, their fears realised.

She gritted her teeth, her mouth open in a snarl. They hadn't come this far to be turned around now! If Papyrus could do it, then they could too! "*Frisk! Let me through!" She barked, riding high on their shared confidence from earlier. He backed up rapidly from the bridge at Chara's words, not looking at the girl.

As Chara moved brusquely onto the bridge, Frisk managed to tear his terrified, wide-eyed gaze from the blackness below, staring at her instead. The girl marched onto the bridge, her almost negligible weight depressing the planks only slightly. As the swaying diminished, she turned round, still gripping the ropes, and faced Frisk.

Frisk saw Chara as determined as she could be, confidence in her posture as she began gesturing toward him. He could still see the fear in her though, the fear shaping her ruby eyes. "*Come on Frisk! We can do this together, just look me in the eyes, and move!" as she snapped, she kept one hand held onto the rope, her other arm was outstretched, waving in a shaky beckoning motion.

He shook his head vigorously. "It's easy for you to say, you weigh hardly anything!" the boy fretted, waving his arms out before him in refusal. Chara scoffed at his words.

"*If that huge skeleton can do it, a little boy can three times over! Come on Frisk, think of our plan! Think of Papyrus, and Toriel!" Chara felt the shadow of guilt worm its way into her heart as she needled him like this. It wasn't the kindest way, but she knew they had to press onward and this was the only way to do it. He had to get to shelter soon.

Frisk gulped, and growled, closing his eyes tightly. He stamped his feet, in a childish attempt to stamp out the fear. Chara watched this wordlessly, and moved toward him, off the bridge.

The boy felt his clenched fists gently taken by the cool, ghostly hands of the girl. At the sensation, Frisk opened his bloodshot, tired brown eyes to look into the naturally red-brown eyes of Chara, who was grimacing fiercely at him. She was neither annoyed at him nor was she disgusted. Only angry that such a small obstacle, so close to their goal would give him pause like this.

"*Listen. You _know_ we can do this. Just… take a step, and keep looking at my eyes." Chara uttered in a low tone, her eyes never leaving his. She tugged him firmly but slowly toward the bridge. As they reached the beginning of the rope, she took one hand from his, reaching out behind her to grab the rope.

Frisk slowed as he reached the planks, sensing them beneath his feet. As he felt the ground become unstable, he gulped, but never broke eye contact with Chara. Instead, his free hand furiously searched for hers on the rope. When he found it, he gripped it tightly, exhaling breath within him he didn't know he held. He halted, which also stopped Chara.

She continued to watch him silently as he closed his eyes, and breathed in and out heavily, its pace slowing to a more sedate speed. Still she was silent when he opened them again a few moments later, his eyes boring deeply into hers. They were wracked with fear, but never moved downward, upward or anywhere else, just like she had requested.

Frisk felt himself become calm, despite where they stood. If he could just stay here, still like this, it would be alright. But in his periphery… he could see the lights of the town… so close… and the fall below... He could do this. The boy nodded slowly, his eyes never leaving Chara's. In response, she slowly nodded too, taking it as a sign of readiness.

They continued moving for what seemed like an eternity, all they could see was each other's eyes. Neither spoke. Nor did either seem to notice the swaying below them, or when they reached the other side.

It was only when Chara tripped on a huge snowdrift behind her did they realise they no longer needed to stay in their trance.

The girl fell backward into the snow, her reflexes tightening the grip of her hands. Which naturally meant that Frisk fell on top of her.

They both laid there for a moment, Frisk with his head over Chara's shoulder, hidden in from view. She stared upward toward the starlit cavern, eyes wide, face partially obscured by Sans' jacket. Both were unable to get up, exhausted as they were from this, and the rest of the day's events. So warm was Frisk, he felt he could just sleep there like that, his legs failing on him. Chara felt she could stay there for much the same reason… and because she _couldn't_ move Frisk as she was.

"*Frisk… we made it… you need to get up! You're… squashing me!" Chara pleaded, her voice muffled underneath his jacket. Frisk elicited an equally muffled groan in response, rolling over lethargically from his partner, joining her in staring at the stars.

His legs felt like lead weights- useless. He could feel his eyelids gluing themselves closed as his adrenaline crashed, strangely comfortable in his mattress of snow and his trusted partner beside him.

To both their surprise, it was Frisk who got up first. He stumbled dangerously, his hands waving in a lame attempt to keep his balance. Once stable, he stood there for a moment, both children still silent. The boy then sluggishly dragged his feet over to Chara, who still laid there in the snow staring listlessly above.

He held his hand out for her. "*Can't I just lay here?" She groaned in mock-annoyance. Frisk rolled his half-closed eyes at her, and reached down heavily, picking up her hand. She only seemed to notice when he tugged gently, shaking her arm. She moaned again.

"*Fine, fine… I'm sleeping in tomorrow though…" Chara joked. She too, with Frisk's help arose from where they had landed, her imprint visible in the snow. He sighed.

"I think we both will be, Chara. Thank you… for back there. I couldn't do that myself…" Frisk spoke quietly, regarding her with a soft smile that was accentuated by his tired visage, dark circles starting to show beneath his eyes.

Chara smiled back at him in response, feeling the energy coming back to her just looking at his state. "*Just don't use me as a pillow again, alright? Let's go. Not far now." She teased, waving at the ground where they had laid. The girl snickered at his shuddering sigh, taking his hand.

As they slowly moved, Frisk had unconsciously begun to lean onto his partner. Chara said nothing, the only evidence of her realisation the wide smile that worked its way onto her rosy face.

The messy, joined-snow angels they left behind astounded the Dog-patrols for a long period of time afterward.

* * *

-X-

The succeeding mesas passed with little incident, though they had found an unattended sentry checkpoint. Both children were wary of the snarling dog-gargoyle situated above the arch of the station window, their last experience with a station like this had been a most unpleasant experience for both of them.

To their surprise, next to the checkpoint were what appeared to be several slipshod snowmen…or were they snowdogs? They had vaguely lupine faces, but were broken into slushy piles all around the ground around them.

"*Maybe they shouldn't try to make their necks so long…" Chara mused as they passed. Looking back to Frisk, she stopped at his dumbfounded expression, staring at something in the distance.

Turning her gaze to follow his, she caught what he was looking at, face-faulted. For unlike the messy snowdogs, there was an expertly made, almost chiselled snow-figure… Of Papyrus. The snowman had huge, exaggeratedly muscular arms and a broad chest… though he couldn't have made his toothy grin any more embellished if he tried.

As they approached, flabbergasted at the expertly made snow-Papyrus, another snow… pile greeted them, situated next to the figure. There was bright orange paint spilt all over the mush. "*It says Sans… I guess they got bored of waiting for us. We didn't take _that_ long!" Chara translated, shaking her fist in mock-anger at the hidden meaning behind the snowmen.

Frisk giggled at her, rapid exhalations instead of laughter coming out. Still, Chara was uplifted by his smile at her words, and the strange greeting they had received. "I guess Papyrus is just that good…" he said thoughtfully. After shaking his head, they smiled tiredly at one another again and continued onward.

* * *

-X-

This was it. One more bridge between them and the town. It had been so close for some time now, but they were finally here. The children just wished it wasn't another shoddy-looking wooden-rope bridge between them and the next area once again.

Avoiding looking at the darkness below, Frisk levelled his gaze, looking over to the other side. His eyes widened at the sight of both Papyrus and Sans, the taller of which seemed once again to be ranting about something to his unmoved, shorter brother. The boy pointed toward them unobtrusively, drawing Chara's wandering attention toward them.

"*I wonder what they'll do to us now… Only one way to find out. Come on, we've almost done it!" Chara encouraged, Frisk's smile strengthening with her reassurance. They jointly squeezed their held hands, and moved forward.

Frisk took a deep breath and stepped onto the bridge of his own volition, he could be strong this time if he just didn't look over the edge. Or so he thought.

Both children looked over the edge of the wooden crossing in shocked interest; the planks neither swayed nor gave under Frisk's weight, nor did any of the bridge ahead of them. It was completely stable underfoot.

Suspicious, Chara walked onto the bridge after him, barely noticing how it didn't give underneath her negligible mass either. She kneeled down slowly onto the planks, careful not to lose her balance. As Frisk saw what Chara was doing, he leaned forward, one hand on the rope, the other on her shoulder. He could care less about the skeleton brothers seeing him do this if it meant that Chara was safe.

Chara looked up to him and gave him a lopsided smile. "*Thanks, but I don't think you need to worry Frisk… Because…" She said, reaching over the wooden planks, only to depress her palm against what appeared to be the thin air. A few muffled guffaws later, Chara was back on her feet, her smile replaced with a smirk.

"*Because I don't think this is a bridge. You saw that, right?" Chara waved to the space where she had just reached. Frisk nodded, a muted smirk of his own creeping onto his face.

"*It's like that illusion-puzzle from earlier- I think we're stood on another rock, not empty space. Nothing to worry about! Except what they might do…" She continued, waving toward the skeleton siblings, who still seem not to have noticed them yet, Papyrus too enraptured in something Sans was saying.

As Frisk turned around, trying to put on the most determined smile he could, Chara grabbed his hand from behind again, her other hand on his shoulder. "*Might be best to be as surprised as you can though, I doubt Papyrus would be too pleased to find out you already know the trick to this one!" She whispered jokily into his ear, her breath pushing at his hair.

Frisk's smile grew as he started toward the end of the bridge again. As he got halfway across, Sans was unable to keep Papyrus entertained for any longer, the tall skeleton whipping around to face the boy impatiently. He felt a happiness grow within him as he saw Papyrus' expression develop from an irritated scowl into one of excitement- was the caped monster happy to see him?

Sans' expression was that of a smug grin, as it tended to be, the children noticed. He was watching them intently, his pinprick grey eyes distinctly _not_ all-black and terrifying this time. The short skeleton was also still just wearing the plain white sweater on his torso, having not replaced it with anything yet.

As Frisk and Chara neared the end of the fake-bridge, Papyrus raised a gloved hand in a halting gesture. They both stopped, apprehension once again building at whatever the tall skeleton had planned. However… Chara nudged at Frisk when she noticed something.

Frisk glanced behind him to see what Chara wanted. "*Look closely at Papyrus." Was all Chara said, she not taking her eyes off of the skeleton. The boy turned back and watched Papyrus as attentively as he could, like she had asked him to.

Papyrus was struggling with something. His jaw was quavering, his excited eyes had softened, falling and not looking at the boy anymore. His outstretched arm was shaking almost imperceptibly. Frisk felt a lump starting to build in his throat at the sight. The boy hoped beyond hope that what he was observing was what he thought it was.

"H-HALT, FRISK! I…I… THERE IS ONE MORE PUZZLE FOR YOU. GET THROUGH _THIS_ , AND… WELL…" Papyrus' stuttered monologue was drowned out as halfway through his speech he reached for something in his costume's pocket, and pressed it.

A mechanical, whirring noise rang out over the area as large cannons, trebuchets and what appeared to be torch sconces, that were placed in front of strangely shaped mortars, all materialised seemingly out of thin air either side of the bridge.

They were all aimed at Frisk.

Instinctively, the boy retrieved both of his hands and put them either side of head, crouching. He couldn't believe this was happening. "B-b-but P-Papyrus!" Frisk screamed. Chara dropped down and hugged the boy tightly from behind, her eyes clenched shut.

"QUIET! THIS, IS THE GAUNTLET OF DEADLY TERROR! WHEN I PRESS THIS SWITCH HERE… IT WILL ACTIVATE!" Papyrus exclaimed gravely. Chara raised her head at his words, searching frantically for the switch. She spotted it in his hand, her mind racing.

Frisk remained on the ground, barely noticing Chara's movements, but gladdened at least to have her by his side in this moment. "W-why Papyrus?! I-It doesn't have to b-be-!" Frisk's babbling was interrupted by Papyrus, who shouted over him

"BECAUSE I HAVE TO _CAPTURE_ YOU! I… THIS… YOU WILL… I'M GOING TO ACTIVATE IT ANY MOMENT! WHEN IT DOES, ONLY THE TINIEST CHANCE WILL REMAIN OF YOUR SURVIVAL! I…" Papyrus was stammering heavily now, all vestiges of a grin gone from his face. He clearly didn't want to do it.

Chara meanwhile had arisen from Frisk, moving past him and towards Papyrus. ' _*If I can just get hold of that switch, I might be able to stop this!'_ she thought, her teeth bared and red eyes flashing as she neared the skeleton.

She was stopped. Not by anyone or anything, there was just _something_ in the way. Chara felt all the hairs on her skin rise in fear, the familiar crawling, pins-and-needles feeling returning as she attempted to push past the intangible barrier.

Her head snapped to Sans. His left eye glowed bright blue, glaring at her.

In dread, she backed away from the invisible obstacle, and the glowing blue eye returned to its normal grey-pinprick state.

As Chara scrambled back to Frisk, latching onto the boy desperately and mumbling incoherently, Sans turned to Papyrus and spoke dubiously.

"bro, you're supposed to capture him, not _kill_ him." Sans was staring hard at his brother, all evidence of mirth gone from his voice. Papyrus' hand holding the switch hesitantly fell, his posture collapsing too.

"I KNOW… I JUST… I WANT TO MAKE UNDYNE PROUD. I WANT TO BECOME A ROYAL GUARD!" the tall skeleton whimpered. Sans moved closer to his brother, both hands out of his pockets reaching toward him.

"i thought you said you liked frisk. you said he liked your puzzles, liked spaghetti and that he liked you too. that maybe you could be friends when this is all over. you can't do that if you've killed him." Sans spoke softly but his words were hard, Papyrus' head sinking further and further with each word.

"BUT… I… I'VE WAITED SO LONG TO BECOME ONE! ...NEVER LIKE THIS THOUGH… WHY COULDN'T YOU BE A MEAN HUMAN, THAT DOESN'T LIKE PUZZLES?! DOESN'T LIKE JAPES?" Papyrus ranted, the upset clinging to each word like Frisk clung to Chara at that moment.

Frisk looked up, seeing that Sans had both of his hands on his brother's switch-hand. His eyes met the Papyrus', and the tall skeleton elicited an indecipherable sound of anguish at the expression on the boy's face. Terror.

"I CAN'T DO IT! I WON'T DO IT! THIS ISN'T FAIR, AND I DON'T WANT TO IT THIS WAY! I DON'T WANT FRISK TO DIE!" Papyrus shouted, throwing the switch down onto the ground, where it smashed into many fine pieces.

Sans sighed in relief, which was joined by Frisk and Chara's shared exclamations of utter joy, happy to still be alive. The activated weapons retreated into the seeming nothingness from whence they came, much more silently than they had appeared.

"honestly, you had me worried there bro. you…" Sans started, before sighing once again, shaking his head. Papyrus was just glaring at the ground, breathing heavily, clenching his gloved fists.

The tall skeleton turned upturned his head to look at Frisk, who was regarding him with an intense expression of raw joy and gratitude. Papyrus couldn't maintain the stare, and looked away, conflicted. He huffed.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK _YOU'RE_ LOOKING AT? I'LL SEE YOU AHEAD! NEXT TIME I WON'T BE SO LENIENT!" Papyrus exclaimed, pointing at the boy. The little-force behind his words betrayed his feelings however, and the skeleton turned around and marched sloppily off toward town. He left a storm of mixed beliefs and emotion in his wake.

* * *

-X-

Chara helped up a tremoring Frisk, she herself feeling light-headed and shaky after this too. Beyond anything they were both exhausted, but they had reached their goal. They slowly trudged the remaining distance off of the false-bridge, leaning onto one another this time, onto the icy ground where Papyrus had stood.

They didn't dare rest here, lest they never get up again. Instead, they silently looked at Sans; Chara suspiciously and Frisk with a smile. The short skeleton grinned back at them, and closed his eyes, sighing once more.

"looks like that was a close one, huh? i don't think you had anything to worry about." Sans reassured, putting his skeletal hands bag in his pockets. Chara scoffed.

"*Close?! That was near-death you idiot! He could have killed us!" Chara shouted, unsure if he would hear her. If Sans _could_ hear her, he ignored her, opening his eyes and regarding Frisk instead, his grin widening.

"look. you're gonna need a place to stay, and i doubt it'd go well at the moment if you crashed at mine. don't worry, i doubt anybody in this town will recognise what you are." Sans turned halfway as he said this, lifting one of his hands up and pointing toward the settlement.

"the second building you'll come to on your left is called 'the snowed inn', just tell 'em i sent you and they'll fit you with a room to crash in for the night. the owner owes me a favour anyhow. you got any money, for food and stuff?" Sans asked softly, a concerned look on his skull-face.

Frisk upturned his pockets, where a couple of copper pieces fell out. He held up a shaking hand with the money up to the skeleton, who made a dismissive sound at it. "that ain't gonna be enough kid. tell ya what, i'll lend you some of mine. there's a couple of gold in my right jacket pocket, which should be enough for one night." Sans revealed, winking.

The boy checked the pocket, sure that he hadn't felt anything there before. To his surprise, there was exactly two gold pieces, which he showed to Chara inconspicuously, who looked equally shocked. They both turned wide-eyed back to the skeleton, who stood there grinning and shrugging.

"Th-thank you Sans… so much for this!" Frisk stammered, his attempt at being gracious marred by a large yawn at the prospect of somewhere to sleep. Sans' shrug only intensified.

"ehh don't worry about it. you can just pay me back double later." As Frisk's shocked look returned, Sans just laughed. "just kiddin' frisk. only…" The short skeleton's posture became more serious, his grin turning dourer.

"it looks like you're gonna confront my brother soon. i don't know what he's gonna do… but i trust you two to come up with the best solution. i know you both can." Sans finished with an assuring tone, smiling wide. When both children blinked once again, he had disappeared.

Both children had varying smiles on their faces. "*Well I guess that was kind of him, shall we go and…"

Chara's speech turned into an irritated groan. Which was shortly followed by Frisk's chuckle once he realised too.

For Sans had been speaking to both of them at the end.

* * *

-X-

"*This is the place, 'The Snowed Inn'. Looks cosy…" Chara remarked, pointing at the building that Sans had indicated for them. On the outside, it was a relatively small looking log-cabin, with extensions behind it for more rooms. Looking through the window, it was brightly lit, a roaring fire in a hearth centred in the lobby. A monster stood at the reception desk- Frisk thought they looked like a rabbit, to his tired amusement.

They had entered town wary of meeting anyone in their state. Despite Sans' assurance that nobody would recognise Frisk for what he was here, Chara insisted it still paid to be sure.

All they had been greeted by was a large decorative sign, covered in lit multi-coloured fairy lights that shone out over the white snow of the ground. "*Welcome to Snowdin." Was all Chara had read it out to say, and Frisk nodded, smiling, eager to find the Inn.

As they entered said building, a cheerful but slightly raspy woman's voice came from the counter. "Hello there young monster! Why, aren't you an interesting one? You come far?" The tall, female _rabbit_ monster chirped at Frisk, her hands on the counter. She wore a simple, one-piece yellow dress that Frisk would have thought odd, had she not been covered in thick, white fur.

Frisk nodded, the words he wanted to say not quite making their way to his mouth. She _was_ a rabbit! Chara squeezed his hand tightly at his slightly rude response.

The rabbit-woman's happy expression seemed to fall at his silence. "Well aren't you the quiet one! You look tired though, so I understand! We're always taking in travellers… So I guess you'll be wanting a room?" She continued, her tone seemingly unperturbed.

This time Frisk managed to speak. "I-I'm sorry miss. It's just been a long day for me. If I could have a room yes please… erm… two beds…" The boy said hesitantly, glancing at Chara, who was holding his hand firmly.

" _Two_ beds? You got someone else coming little one?" The rabbit woman asked dubiously. Frisk hesitated, and then spoke.

"Yeah… She'll be coming later tonight. She knows I'm here, so don't worry about her!" Frisk said lamely. Chara rolled her eyes. The rabbit woman seemed to accept this though, her toothy smile turning more devious, ears perked up.

"Oh? She your sister… or girlfriend? You little Casanova!" The woman teased, laughing as Frisk blushed redder than Chara's cheeks, which themselves flushed rosier at the words.

"Just a friend! I… do you serve any dinner, or supper?" He asked, quickly diverting _that_ topic. At this Chara perked up and nodded, squeezing his hand gratefully. He smiled at her, but looked away quickly, feeling embarrassed.

The woman finished her chortling laughter, and apologised. "Yes, it's a bit too late for dinner now, but I can make you some nice, warm sweet-porridge and hot tea if you'd like! Again for two?" She offered, her eyes narrowing teasingly with her last words. Frisk just nodded vigorously, avoiding eye-contact with the joshing woman.

"Alright then, that'll be three gold pieces for the lot, including the supper and some breakfast in the morning!" The woman said, her happy tone returning. Chara nudged Frisk at this, nodding at him with wide eyes. Frisk hadn't forgotten.

"Actually… Sans asked if you could let us stay over, a… favour you owe him?" Frisk uttered meekly, unsure whether she would go for it. He really didn't want to be thrown out!

Sure enough, the rabbit woman seemed to reel-back from the counter, her arms stretching where her hands still sat. Her happy expression had dissipated into a scowl, but thankfully it wasn't directed at Frisk.

"Fine. Tell that no-good skeleton his favour's been paid though! That'll still be one gold piece for the food!" Requested the woman, all pretence of a cheerful owner gone, her hand held out almost greedily. Clearly the thought of Sans and whatever favour he had done for her was _not_ a good memory for the lady.

Frisk timidly handed over one of the gold pieces, which the rabbit woman snatched away. She turned away from the children, opening a drawer behind her. She pulled out a keychain with a key and a tag on it, and turned back to him, handing it over.

Her smile had returned, though it was a little sickly. "Your room's number four. I'll bring up your supper in just a moment!" She said in an equally forced happy-tone. Frisk and Chara silently went up the stairs where they had been directed, eager at the prospect of food and sleep.

The rabbit woman, who was named Clover, could have sworn she heard the distant laughter of a girl coming from upstairs as the boy left. She thought it was strange, as this friend of his hadn't arrived, nor did she have any female guests yet tonight.

* * *

-X-

"*Haha! I wonder just what Sans did to give her that lemon-sucking face! Wow…" Chara seemed to find whatever had made the woman drop her little façade absolutely hilarious. Frisk just grinned at his partner's antics, just silently thankful to Sans for letting them use his favour like this.

They entered the room numbered four, which Chara had to indicate for Frisk, opening into a small room, cosy room. It was carpeted red, and there were two single beds side-by-side facing away from one of the walls, each with a bedside table and lit lamps on them. The walls were peach-coloured plaster, and were well lit by a central overhead light.

To Frisk's relieved appreciation, the room had a small en-suite with a _bath_. "*Hey, hey Frisk! Looks like you can get yourself washed! That's great, because I've had to put up with your stink the whole way here!" The boy's face fell into a grimace at Chara's teasing statement, her laughter starting anew.

The bath could wait until the morning though- after a quick lavatory break both children were raring for their beds. Before they could consider just getting straight into them, a knock on the door hailed the arrival of their supper.

Thanking their rabbit host, they greedily ate the thick oat-porridge, washing it down with the hot, milky tea. Frisk had to help Chara with her tea though- she could just about manage the spoon, but a full mug of tea was still out of her league. So it was with hidden amusement that the boy tipped up the cup into her mouth when she wanted to drink- he did it just smiling, whilst she said nothing, the only indication of irritation her twitching eyebrow.

Once they were fed, bellies full they immediately made to get into their beds. But to further Chara's chagrin, and Frisk's ever so slightly smug smile at the continuing reversal of hilarity, the boy still had to lift the duvet for Chara to adequately get herself comfortable.

As he tucked her in, the smug grin turning toothy, Chara snapped. "*Stop that, your face will get stuck that way." Frisk just laughed at her indignant pouting, a blush working its way onto her face.

"Chara… thank you… for everything." Frisk said quietly once his laughter had stopped, regarding her with a wistful expression. Her angry expression softened into her trademark lopsided smile.

"*Don't worry about it Frisk. I should be thanking you… We make a good team, don't we?" She said softly, her eyes twinkling at him. They both shared a resolute smile with each other. Both children trusted each other to the extreme, from what they had both endured in such a short time. Feelings they both shared… they couldn't quite put their finger on it, but it was as if they had known each other forever. Which was impossible. But undeniable.

Frisk shook his head, walking around Chara's bed and toward his own. He stopped as he looked out of the window. Strange vines obscured half of it, the green branches covered in sharp red thorns. The boy felt he had seen them before, but in his excitement for the sleep, did not pay them any more mind.

As he got under the covers, he heard a muted exclamation of "*Goodnight, Frisk." To which he responded in kind. "Goodnight Chara." As the light was turned out, no sooner than ten seconds later, both children were fast asleep.

Kept under the watchful gaze of the flower-vine outside their window.

* * *

-X-

edit 01/01/16: Corrected some mistakes I spotted in the meeting with Clover the rabbit, in addition to inserting the correct line breaks. I really need to go back and thoroughly re-read over all this sometime...

 **A/N:** Phew! Just in time too- Merry Christmas! This is my little gift to you all, I hope you like it! Longest chapter yet- I hope it reads well and isn't too flawed, as always leave me a comment if you think it could be better, or if there are any glaring errors!

A big thanks to: 'TheEmeraldQueen', 'allen Vth', 'AnyOtherTime', 'Pisan Mercenary', 'Guest', 'rampagingshepard', 'jack hopper', 'Akayuki Novak', 'imnotraven16', 'erenia0324', 'RustyBuckets' and 'Arashi IV of VI' for their lovely comments! An even bigger thanks to 'RoxyConan-Kun', 'Pisan Mercenary', 'erenia0324' and 'allen Vth' for their support and idea-sharing, I appreciate it! Finally, thanks to those who followed and favorited!

Most of all once again, MERRY CHRISTMAS!

The next chapter won't be out for a couple of days at least, gonna hopefully be getting festive over here! See you until then!


	17. Red

Chapter Seventeen – Red

-X-

 _He was alone. Alone in a darkness without bounds, without reason._

-O-

 _She was alone. Wretched and empty, a hell fit for her._

-X-

 _He gazed around, anxiety pervading his soul._

" _Chara! Where are you? Please, come back!"_

 _All he heard was his own voice return, taunting him._

 _The boy clutched his purple-striped sweater to himself nervously. So long and so close she was to him now, it felt wrong now she was gone. Never had he had someone so friendly yet obtuse, warm yet cold. A best-friend he had in her, but here… he had nothing. He was lost._

-O-

 _She peered around the blackness. The emptiness of it all echoing around her soulless existence._

" _*Frisk! I can't do this alone, not again! Please, I need you with me!"_

 _But nobody came._

 _The girl hugged her arms to her chest, green-striped sweater crumpling. He had found her. She had found him. Despite all evidence to the contrary, that she was now one with death… she had never felt more alive. Never before she had met him. Now, she was empty again; before she had not cared, but after this…_

-X-

 _The boy shivered, teeth chattering, the void clawing its way into him. Were he able to see, or shake off the feeling of being watched… He would have curled up into a ball on the ground, crying, whimpering the name of his friend._

-O-

 _She had never felt it leave her, the feeling. Emotion. Even though she had no tears to spare, she wanted to weep. Let the echoes of her blood curdling dirge carry to wherever he may have gone, so that they could find each other again. Feel whole. Feel it all return to her._

-X-

 _There! In the distance!_

" _H-Hello?! Who's there? Chara?!" He cried, the panic wracking his feeble voice._

-O-

 _Squinting her eyes in an attempt to elicit tears as if in some,_ any _form of validation, she finally saw something._

" _*Frisk? Is that you? Please, come back to me!" She whimpered, far less than a cry._

-X-

 _A figure, facing away from him, in all black. Skeletal hands, with holes gouged out of them. Folded behind his back._

-O-

 _They were tall, whoever they were. They peered at her intensely, with strange, hollow eyes. They looked familiar… A white, smooth head. Words were spoken, but she could not understand. She had seen them before, but where?_

-X-

" _Papyrus, is that you?! Where are we?" The boy hollered at the figure, seeming to recognise their posture, their skeletal hands and head._

 _The figure stood rigid, and began to turn._

-O-

" _*Hey, you! What do you think you're staring at? Do you know the way out of…?" Her angry yet hollow voice seemed to be lost on the figure, for they did not respond with speech._

 _Instead, the figure stood rigid, and turned its hideous, melted visage away from her, facing to the right._

-X-

 _He could see their face- not Papyrus, but similar. As if the tall skeleton had been mutilated._

 _The boy gasped as the figure, their body facing to his left, looked at him and spoke a dialect he had never heard before._

 _They raised their left arm toward him, and beckoned._

-O-

 _She froze, her stomach turning to ice at the_ scream _that rang out when the figure reached toward something in the darkness._

 _The girl recognised it as belonging to the boy she looked for._

 _Indescribable rage. She wondered vaguely where it had come from- instead of wanting to find the boy she wanted to punish this_ creature _for hurting him. She hated them!_

 _In this place, without him by her side, she could feel nothing else._

-X-

 _The boy wept and wept, curled tightly on the bottomless floor. Pain pervading all of his essence, the seething hollowness inside clawing away at his bones like a rabid animal._

 _Something. The monster had taken something from him, pulled it kicking and screaming from his body._

 _He raised his tear-stricken face to the figure. Despite his pain, he felt no fear. No sadness, no happiness._

 _Only the distant echo of an animalistic ire, the emotion he rarely felt, yet it was the only one present._

 _The figure was no longer staring at him, instead looking at their hands, which they had brought close to their face. Something was_ glowing _in their hollow hands. From this distance, it looked like a little red-star, drawing the little boy in._

 _He couldn't focus on that now. "W-what have you done? Where is Chara? I…"_

-O-

 _The screaming had stopped, finally. The girl released a shaky breath as the figure turned to her right once more, bringing their arms back._

 _They held something in their hands, bright, glowing red. They were peering at it intensely, studying the light. She gasped, knowing what it was._

 _Reflexively, her face twisted into a snarl. She knew what this_ monster _had done, taken from… she didn't want to believe who._

 _A moment later, she was charging at the figure, ready to take the glimmering light back from them, give it back to their rightful owner. But first…_

-X-

 _Suddenly, the skeletal figure reached out toward him again, the red star floating there by itself._

 _He felt himself pulled upward, until he was floating off the ground, struggling with the intangible snare._

" _W-what are you-!" The boy let out a strangled shriek as he was_ brought _, hurtling toward the figure. The boy closed his eyes, trying his best to brace for whatever pain would come next._

-O-

 _She charged at the monstrous being, fists raised, snarling. She would make them pay. Make them pay for hurting him._

 _Blink._

 _They turned once more to face her, glaring. Their glowering visage seemed to paralyze her. She hadn't even stumbled- it was if their mutilated gaze had stolen the girl and left a statue in her place._

 _She felt herself being dragged stiffly toward the creature, not being pulled or pushed by any hands or claws that she knew of. She struggled to yell out, managing to open her mouth. Yet she had no breath with which to voice it._

-X-

 _He slowly opened his eyes once he had stopped moving. Barely at arms-length from the monster-man, he could now clearly see them- their pitch-black robe, their droopy eyes. Hollow, like Sans' eyes had been._

 _The boy gritted his teeth, tears falling into his mouth, pain ubiquitous. He no longer cared._

 _The glowing object in their hands- he felt drawn to it, like it_ belonged _to him. He tried reaching for it, but couldn't muster the strength._

 _The star wasn't the only thing in its invisible grasp though. Past it. Through the dark._

 _He felt stronger- not happy or relieved like he expected to be, at seeing his partner, struggling as he was._

 _Ignoring the beast, he focussed all his attention on the girl, desperately trying to think of something._ Anything.

-O-

 _She was surprised. Could she feel relief, happiness, she would have smiled at seeing her partner again. Instead she grimaced- he was as stuck as she was._

 _At this distance she noticed his pained, tear-streaked countenance. She could peer deep into his dark-red eyes. The realisation of it all trickled into her mind-he was just the same as her in this place. They could work together to get back. She struggled, her effort renewing double when she noticed him follow her example._

 _Maybe this time, he would agree to her less… gentle suggestions._

-X-

 _Both the boy and girl were frozen once again, their shared struggle amounting to nothing. The monster glanced between them, the abomination of a smile working its way onto its face. They brought their skeletal hands together, smacking, the sound of twisted applause resounding around the darkness._

 _They were brought side-by-side. If he could just_ reach… _he'd be able to take her hand. At least then they wouldn't be alone. He might feel_ something.

 _The monster leered toward them, the red star in their hands brought close. They waved the alluring object near the boy's face._

 _Panic. Hope. Love._

 _He felt them return to him as red filled his vision. Then the monster pulled the light away, and the feelings subsided, leaving him in withdrawal like an addict without their drug._

 _Teeth gnashed together, his heavy breathing echoing out, he barely managed to turn his head to see the figure wave the object close to Chara too._

 _He could_ see _. The light encompassed her whole body, and she gasped. She glowed, all of her lit with a bright red shade._

 _Except her eyes._

 _They were_ brown _._

 _He felt muted surprise when they returned to their original red colour, the light brought away from her. What was that thing?_

 _He could think no more on it, as the figure_ chuckled _, the first sound he had heard them make. They made a complex gesture with their hands, pointing a withered, bony finger first at him, then at the girl, then finally bringing both of their hands together in a tight ball._

 _The boy couldn't understand. He couldn't think. He only snarled as he simultaneously tried to reach for her hand, and grab for the light._

 _With a guttural sigh, and a shake of their head, the monster backed away, then flicked both its wrists in a dismissive motion._

 _Blink._

 _The monster disappeared in an instant, and so did whatever was holding the children in place._

-O-

 _The red star had remained, both children looked between each other and it as they caught breaths they weren't aware they had lost._

" _*Frisk, are you okay?" gasped the girl, reaching for the boy._

 _He flinched at her touch. Normally he'd feel comforted, happy. Instead he just scowled at her. "I feel… something's wrong, Chara. Whatever that guy did, I can't feel anything!"_

 _She withdrew her hand, looking down. "*I feel… nothing too. That light… they stole it from you" The girl clutched a hand to her chest, almost expecting it go right through with the hollow sensation._

" _Whatever it is, it can bring it back!" He expressed surely, turning from her and struggling toward the object. Figuring it out, this_ thing _had appeared when he could no longer feel anything. It had been stolen from_ him _._

 _She knew what it was of course. Hers had disappeared long ago, and with it all of her feeling._

 _Until the boy came, awakening her._

 _Whatever the explanation, so long as she stayed with him, she felt. She cared. She didn't want to go back to being without feeling. But now… he was just as empty as she is._

 _As empty as Asriel is._

 _He needed to take it back. The girl looked up to see him clasp his hands tightly around the object, the red iridescence filling his form, yet draining from his eyes. His fierce expression softened the longer he held it, and then he looked at her._

" _Chara, come here!" He pled, his voice no longer hollow. Entranced, she arose, stumbling, and made her way to him. As she approached, he held the glowing, pulsating orb out to her in his outstretched palms, offering._

" _*I can't take that from you Frisk! That's yours!" She exclaimed, looking between him and the object. It was hard to resist. To her surprise, he closed the distance, the light just below her chin. The warmth pervaded through her body, and once again she could feel…_

" _I_ want _you to have it! Both of us to have it! If we both hold onto it, everything…" He begged her, his face stricken with drying tears, brown eyes pleading._

 _She could not deny him or herself. She placed her hands over one side, he clasped his hands over the other- both their hands intertwined and blotted out the light._

 _And so the blackness became white, empty to full, night to day._

 _As they felt themselves become whole once again, they smiled. They opened their eyes, and looked at one another._

 _Chara and Frisk._

 _Chara opened her mouth to speak, a diminutive smile gracing her cheeks, whiteness around them. "*We really can do this, can't we? Frisk, I-"_

* * *

-X-

Frisk gasped, limbs flying, scrambling out of his sweat-drenched bed. He could hardly see the surroundings around him, dark as it was in the bedroom, the half-remembered images swimming around his mind.

He found the switch to his bedside lamp, hands shaking as light filled the room. What was that? He turned to his partner in the other bed. She was clenching the blankets tightly, trapped beneath them, a pained expression. She was still asleep.

Stumbling to his feet, the stiffness of sleep still ensnaring him in its jaws, Frisk made his way over to Chara, grabbing her shoulder. "Chara! Wake…" He didn't finish his words, for as soon as he touched her, Chara's pained face relaxed, the tenseness in her body dissipated, no longer clenching the duvet.

Leaning back, he watched her sleep. She seemed to be peaceful now, the fatigue still present in his limbs reminding him of the day they had just endured. He tiptoed backward, falling onto the tangled blankets of his bed.

' _What was that? I remember Chara… feeling of so cold… Red light… and…'_ Frisk snapped up as one image pervaded his mind. A face so white, mouth and eyes abominable. The boy felt squeamish, repulsed at just thinking about it.

Whatever it had done, it hadn't been nice. Frisk looked back to Chara in the dim light- he could see her drenched in sweat just as he was. Had she…

He shook his head. "Just a dream Frisk… just a dream…" Frisk whispered to himself assuredly. Taking deep breaths, and nodding he stood from the bed once again, moving over to the window.

Bemused, he shut the open panes. He didn't remember opening it, and he wasn't sure Chara even could either. "The owner really should do something about these vines… they're coming in!" Frisk muttered to himself once again. ' _Perhaps someone climbed up, or it was loose?'_ He thought to himself.

Giving it no more thought however, he instead considered returning to bed. It was hard to tell the time in this place, the starlight filtering into the room perpetual. He frowned, determined. They would stay until they were rested, or the rabbit-lady threw them out!

"Besides, I can't smell breakfast…" The boy joked to himself. With Chara still asleep, and the foul aroma from his body reminding him of his partner's teasing earlier, he resolved to go have a bath… Then get as much sleep as he could!

Nodding to himself resolvedly at the plan, he swivelled and walked into the en-suite, steeling himself for the task ahead.

* * *

-X-

Thankfully, there had been towels provided. He had needed all of them to both dry himself, and contain the mess of suds and water that was made. Rubbing his damp hair as he exited the bathroom, Frisk guiltily hoped that the nice lady wouldn't be mad at him for it.

He absently walked into the room, not looking where he was going with the towel squirming about his face as he dried. Wandering aimlessly, he tripped on something jutting out of the floor, falling forwards with a muffled squeak, hands outstretched to catch him.

Vines.

As he looked up, horror pushing back the relaxed feeling of the bath, he quickly turned to the window.

It had been forced open once again, only this time it was clear who the culprit was, vines crawling all across the floor.

"Howdy Frisk!"

Frisk's lip quavered as he regarded Flowey, who had popped up out of a vine at the foot of Chara's bed. The boy glanced at his partner, who was awake, wide-eyed and glancing between him and Flowey.

"H-Hi, Asriel…" Frisk stammered, his voice getting stuck in his throat. This was Chara's old friend, for all intents and purposes her brother. He gulped as he attempted to stare down the flower, whose face looked altogether rather cheeky.

"So she _did_ tell you his name! Too bad, he's _gone_. Dead and buried just as she should be! All that's left is little old me, and _you_." Flowey spoke almost piteously, frowning up at Frisk. The boy shook his head, frowning back.

"But he's not dead, you're here aren't you? You're Asriel, and I'm going to finish what you started, with Chara! You could…" Frisk's increasingly hopeful speech was drowned about by Flowey's shrill laughter.

"Hahaha! You really are an _idiot_. Chara! I know you're in here somewhere! Why are you leading this poor kid onto pipedreams like this? That's so cruel!" Flowey jeered, giggling to himself once he had finished talking.

Chara just stared at the flower. She was fairly certain now why he was like this, but to change so much… "*Frisk! He's wrong, you know we can do it, with or without him!" She protested, struggling out of her duvet. The boy nodded, not doubting his partner for a second.

"We don't believe you Asriel, whatever happened before, we can fix this now! Everyone can go free! We just have to make it there!" Frisk maintained strongly, the anxiety of the flowers' presence falling away as Chara struggled to his side.

Flowey tilted his head to the side, peering up at Frisk silently. He looked around the room- there was no sign of his wayward sister anywhere to him. He had watched overnight as the boy struggled with some nightmare, he whimpering out in his sleep. The other bed seemed to be occupied, but there was no-one in it that he could see. He wanted to see her, see the one who was just as empty as he was.

But if she was so empty, why was she even playing this game with Frisk? Pure malice? Amusement? He would have done the same, knowing the outcome. But looking at the boy's face… how he held himself now and how he was back then, how he had not even really hurt anyone, instead _helping_ them… He knew Chara wasn't doing that. So why, if it was neither of these things, was she doing this? It perplexed the flower to no-end.

Suddenly, a thought pricked into Flowey's mind. Something Frisk had just said. His petal-face twisted monstrously, a sharp fanged grin to bear.

"'Whatever happened before', you say? You mean to tell me… She hasn't told you? What she _did_?" Flowey's questioning became increasingly incensed, almost accusing. Frisk glanced at Chara, and took her hand, squeezing. Chara was frowning, her red-brown eyes distant, as if searching for something.

This seemed to puzzle her, and she looked at Frisk, her frown becoming a lost expression. "*I… don't remember, Frisk. I don't remember why it went wrong, only that it did!" Chara insisted, a trace of sorrow entering her tone. The boy smiled at her, and squeezed her hand.

"It's okay Chara!" Frisk whispered. Upon hearing Flowey's scoff, the boy turned back sternly to the flower. "She said she doesn't remember anything, only that your plan failed. We're sure it'll work now!"

Flowey laughed once more, but instead of having a menacing or shrill tone to it, it sounded hollow. Forced. "That's rich! She doesn't remember does she? Oh boy you've got to be kidding me! Haha!" As the flower spent his false-mirth, both Chara and Frisk looked at each other and frowned. They clenched the interlocked hands and returned to staring down the fallen monster.

"*Ask _him_ to tell us then, since he clearly remembers and finds it _hilarious!_ Then tell him to go find a pair of garden shears, and-" Frisk interrupted Chara's irritated diatribe by squeezing her hand again. He smiled when she stopped- it had become a strange form of communication between them.

"Chara asks if you remember, then why don't you tell us?" Frisk relayed his partner's question, interested to know himself. Flowey just shook his head, petals swaying from side to side, a smug smile on his face.

"Nah, this is **much** more interesting! I'll let you find out for yourselves… Maybe then you'll see Chara the way she _really_ is!" This time Flowey did not laugh, but his sardonic tone and manner elicited a growl from Chara, and a deeper frown from Frisk.

The boy just shook his head, forcing a resolute grin onto his face as he countered Flowey. "I think I'll see Chara just the same, thank you very much. When we get to the surface, perhaps you'll join us, and stop being so mean!" Frisk stated resolvedly, again standing up to the flower.

Flowey froze as he looked into Frisk's eyes then- brown… but was that the slight iridescence of red? Upon noticing this, he smiled. A genuine smile, and sighed, looking at the wooden floor.

"You are both idiots. Chara, whatever you've done to make yourself believe you have feeling… It'll disappear eventually. You're **empty**. Just like **me**." Flowey said this almost sadly, shaking his head. Then he raised his head to look Frisk in the eye, grinning menacingly once again.

"And you, Frisk… You'll realise just as I and Chara once did, that this world has one, irrevocable law. **Kill** , or be **killed.** No amount of niceness, understanding or support can take that away!" As soon as Flowey finished his sing-song speech, he was seemingly sucked back into the vine from which he came.

Both Frisk and Chara watched silently as the vines stretching haphazardly over their bedroom floor retreated slowly back out of the window. They heard Flowey's voice, resounding from an indeterminate location once the vines had nearly all gone. "See you later Frisk, see you later _Chara_. Not long now… I'm sure you'll see things from the _right_ perspective".

The sound of his laughter diminished rapidly, as the vines vanished out of sight.

* * *

-X-

As Frisk moved to shut the window, Chara slowly sat back down on her bed. "*He's wrong you know, about the plan, about his philosophy… Maybe… I believed that once. But seeing you…" She distinctly remembered her past. Hatred. Violence. Before she came to Mount Ebott, before she met Frisk.

Chara wasn't so sure anymore. Could words and niceness really be the answer? It had worked so far for Frisk, with her help. She realised with mild amusement that it was working on her too.

Frisk moved back to his bed and sat on it, facing her as he digested her words. "It's the right thing to do. You know I couldn't do it without your help, so you must believe it too!" He said gently, smiling lopsidedly at her.

Chara felt as if the floor had given away from her; she felt utter shock when she looked into his eyes as he smiled at her.

No longer were they merely dark brown- there was the glimmer of red, almost swimming around his irises. So the dream _was_ …

He must have noticed her shock, as his familiar smile fell away into a look of concern. Frisk leaned over and put his hands on one of hers, his shoulder-length hair falling forward.

"What's wrong Chara?" Frisk asked worriedly. She boldly responded by bringing her hand up, and tugging gently on his loose hair, grinning.

"*Oh so you _did_ clean up after all! I guess you won't be stinking up the town from now on!" Chara giggled, evading his question. Frisk frowned, obviously realising what she was trying to do.

"Chara, you looked like you saw a ghost just then…" His slightly scolding words stopped as he remembered something. Frisk looked back at her, expression serious.

"Did you have a dream about… red light, darkness and a horrible skeleton monster? I don't remember it so well, but…" Frisk's question petered out as he struggled to find the words. It felt more distant the longer he held onto Chara's hands. Not that he minded, the feelings, the pain, it was clearly evident that it was one nightmare he wouldn't miss.

"*Yes, I did. No, I don't remember any more of it. Only that it… hurt." Chara spoke softly. At least it was only half a lie- she in fact remembered all of it. Remembered his screaming, his teared face, the monster… Where had she seen it before?

"*It's neat that we're sharing dreams now, just… let's hope for no more nightmares, huh?" Chara joked, continuing. Frisk seemed to accept her answer, smiling gently at her words, squeezing her hands once again and looking her in the eye.

It was strange, he thought. He always remembered her eyes being distinctly more ruby-like than this- now they were more a light auburn, not unlike her hair. He blushed, thinking it looked… pretty, her hair, eyes, the pink ribbon and her rosy face. The boy shook his head as he withdrew her hands from Chara's, turning and raising his legs back onto his bed.

"Let's hope not, partner. I think we should get some more sleep though before breakfast. It really was kind of Sans to use his favour like this." Frisk suggested, changing the topic before his thoughts went too far astray. Chara just rolled her eyes at him, yawning deeply and pointing to the bed.

"*I still say he needs to sort out his act, creeping on us like that! Good idea about sleep, though if we're going to have more dreams like that I'm pinching myself! Now, tuck me in Frisk!" Chara flippantly responded, her sassy demand eliciting a chuckle from the boy.

He only did this because he had to- Frisk knew it demeaned Chara to have to be treated this way, so he accepted her bluster all in good heart.

As they renewed their goodnight farewells once more, and turned out the lights, Frisk briefly wondered about the dream. He remember holding onto Chara's hand amidst a maelstrom of white- something drawn out of him in the exchange, replaced by something else. Despite the pain though, and the unfinished sleep, he felt better than ever. He slept the rest of the night dreamless.

Chara also thought back to the dream as she made herself comfortable. She had felt it when she held onto Frisk's light. When she was with him before she could feel, but now… She was certain it had to be real, and his eyes…

She tried moving the duvet- it was far easier to do than before. She felt happier, more emotional. Whatever Frisk had given her… As she laid there in bed, a happy smile on her face, sleep claimed her dreamlessly through to the morning too.

* * *

-X-

Edit: 31/12/15- corrected a couple of stupid errors in the last two scenes. Sorry.

 **A/N:** So, this was another chapter which I kinda had planned since the get go. After numerous re-edits, I couldn't get it any better for what I wanted to portray. I know it's quite the exposition dump, but I hope you like it. If you don't like it, whether it be down to the plot, structuring or whatever, **please** tell me, so I can avoid making whatever mistakes in the future, and make this better.

Also, I just discovered the horizontal line-break. I feel so stupid… I'm still going to use '-X-' and '-O-' for breaks in certain circumstances, but for this chapter onward I'm going to use the line breaks. At some point I'll go back to all my previous chapters and edit those in too. Sorry about all that.

A big thanks to 'Jusmove', 'AnyOtherTime', 'TheEmeraldQueen', 'Akayuki Novak', 'RustyBuckets', 'Rabbherself', 'allen Vth', 'imnotraven16', 'jack hopper' and 'Arashi IV of VI' for their lovely comments! Furthermore, I continue to thank allen Vth, RoxyConan-Kun and Akayuki Novak for their lovely discussions with me! Thanks too, to those who favorited and followed!

So, I hope you all had a good Christmas, I hope you like this, and see you next time!


	18. Community

Chapter Eighteen – Community

-X-

A steady knocking on the door roused the children from their sleep, followed by the muffled exclamation of- "Wake-up call-! Breakfast in thirty minutes!"

It was the voice of the Snowed Inn's owner, sounding much too happy in Frisk and Chara's shared opinion. The boy quietly pushed the duvet covers back, leaning upward and stretching, yawning soundlessly.

Chara was far less dignified, groaning loudly, fists punching the mattress in a mock tantrum. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she snarled as she struggled out of the bed. As she fought her way out, the girl managed to get her legs and abdomen tangled in the loose sheets, which only prompted her to thrash harder.

Of course this meant she landed face-first on the hard floor, Chara and the bedsheets in one big knotted mess.

Frisk noticed his partner's predicament, struggling to stifle his giggling as he watched her curse and writhe lamely. Eventually though, he granted her pity, kneeling on the floor beside her as he unravelled the sheets.

As the boy's grin got wider and wider, Chara's pouting got more and more pronounced, refusing to look him in the eyes as he gently corrected the mess.

Frisk's amused smirk diminished into a soft smile. "Good morning Chara. Did you sleep well, after…?" He left the meeting with Flowey unsaid, unsure of how he or she were feeling about it. Instead he chose to wave his arms in a rolling motion- as if that would make up for it.

Chara's petulant expression quickly turned lopsided, her eyes soft. "*I did, don't worry about me Frisk… But…" Her tired but gracious tone became almost nervous, frowning slightly. Frisk simply raised a brow at her, emulating her trademark smile as he waited.

"*Could you… run me a bath? I don't think I can quite turn the taps…" She asked, her cheeks becoming rosier at the indignity of it. Frisk forced himself not to chuckle- he could see it hurt her pride to be so relegated, that she was forced to ask the boy for help with things like turning _taps_.

Instead, he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, and smiled. "Sure thing, how hot do you want it?" He asked, neither too softly or too amused, wary of being too demeaning or piteous. Chara sighed, and got up from the floor. Frisk followed her, walking toward the en-suite slowly, waiting for her response.

"*Hot, but not scalding. I hate it when it's lukewarm…" Chara requested, her tone even. As Frisk moved to set her bath, she laid back onto the bed as she waited. The boy moved back into the room whilst the tub filled, sitting down slowly opposite her.

Even from her reclined position, she could tell he was staring at her, wanting to speak. "*What's on your mind Frisk?" She queried calmly, not moving from her position. Chara heard him breathe in sharply, and she smirked.

Frisk gulped as he tried to formulate what he had wanted to talk with her about, looking around the room, as if the answer would spring out to him. "I, uh… well… It's just…" The boy sputtered, blushing- he couldn't say what was _really_ on his mind… Not yet. Instead, he asked another, more pertinent question.

"Chara… Do you think we're really gonna have to fight Papyrus? I mean… Each time we met him, he was always talking about how he wanted to be part of the Royal Guard, and how capturing me would get him there…" Frisk hugged himself in lieu of any hands to hold, gripping his purple-striped sweater.

The girl slowly leaned back upright at his words, a thoughtful frown on her face as she stared at him. She opened her mouth to speak, but Frisk managed to get a word in before her- he hadn't finished.

"I mean- it's like asking to trade one dream for another! Sure, _we_ dream to save all the monsters, but we've got a long way to go… Papyrus… His dream is right within reach- me." Frisk had closed his eyes tightly halfway through his speech.

The boy didn't want to ask _anyone_ to sacrifice their hopes and dreams like that, especially with the outcome of their quest so uncertain. It was a dilemma that had been eating away at the back of his mind since Sans' fake bridge- he was only able to pay it more mind now that he had slept.

He felt the bed beside him give slightly as Chara sat right next to him. Slowly, she pried his hands off of himself and held them with hers, squeezing tightly. "*Remember what Sans said, and how Papyrus' attitude changed each time we met him. I think everything will turn out okay, as long as we keep our wits about us! I don't think he'd want to ask us to give up our dreams either… I'm sure it'll be okay!" She affirmed resolutely.

The girl had said it for her own assurance too, the unpleasant twinge of guilt brought to the fore when she realised the validity of Frisk's words. Normally she wouldn't have felt in such a way, but lately, when she was with him…

To her surprise, he wrenched his hands out of hers, and threw his arms around her in a tight embrace. He was shaking slightly, squeezing her abdomen. She responded in kind, if a little more gently. One hand patting his back, Chara realised- he was frightened.

"*It's okay, Frisk. We'll figure something out, together. Just as we've been doing, right? I'd say we were the winning team!" Her assurance came out in an almost pleading tone itself, and she hugged tighter. Frisk just responded by nodding slowly over her neck, not speaking.

As they sat there intertwined, Frisk slowly calmed down. He let go of her, but she wasn't finished, grabbing his receding hands. "*I promise you Frisk, we can work it out! Why don't we ask him again if we can be friends? That'd be… nice, wouldn't it?" Chara pressed gently, searching his umber eyes desperately for his reaction.

He regarded her with a wistful smile, nodding slightly. "It would be… I just hope he listens…" Frisk whispered. Chara just returned a sad, lopsided smile of her own, squeezing his hands one last time before she arose and moved toward the bathroom.

Glancing back, her smile still present, Chara nodded at him. "*Have a little faith in us Frisk! We can do it!" She cheered, clenched fist outstretched. The girl got the reaction she hoped for, uplifted as his wistful smile widened into an honest one.

As she closed the door, Frisk clasped both his hands before him, legs dangling over the bed as he contemplated. He did have faith they would manage yes, but for everyone to be happy? Could Papyrus still be happy if he never got to be Royal Guard? Would friendship be too much of a consolation prize?

Logic told him that the ends far justified the means, but that did not quell the unease in his heart. Listening to Chara's words, remembering them, he felt more certain of himself, stronger. Frisk just hoped that Papyrus could see their way, or they would have to somehow escape him.

One thought weaselled its way around his psyche however, as he sluggishly put Sans' jacket back on. He tried to dismiss it, believing it to be just another taunt of Flowey's. But…

If she didn't remember it, yet Flowey maliciously regarded it as such a significant issue… Then what happened that made the original plan fail?

* * *

-O-

As soon as she closed and locked the door behind her, Chara had leaned back against it, sliding to the floor, eyes wide and breathing heavily.

' _*What was that?'_ Her mind raced. First the guilt- she had never felt it so acutely before. The last time she had felt guilt like that was when her and Asriel's butterscotch pie recipe went badly wrong! Even then… and what was the other feeling? A tight, hot-feeling deep within her chest as Frisk grasped her moments ago…

"*What's happening to me?" Chara whispered to herself, clutching one hand tightly just below her ribs. Ever since she had met Frisk, things she had never felt before arose. Happy feelings. Sure, with Asriel they were far more positive than they were before on the surface world… But _now_ …

Seeing Frisk try to be friends with the monsters when they were attacked, instead of automatically lashing out like she would have done. He listened to her suggestions for what to do to resolve situations, and she watched, amazed as they worked out. It was all as if the world had shifted beneath her feet, like a tablecloth ripped from underneath a banquet.

More so now, with whatever had happened last night, and just now.

She wished she had known him long ago. Maybe then, she would still be alive. Asriel, not a shadow of his former self. Maybe she could have…

Shaking her head, a tight grimace on her face flushed with all brewing feelings inside her, she undressed for her bath. As she did so, something caught her eye. Twisting to see it, she saw the body-length mirror on the wall.

' _*Did I just…'_ Chara pondered, shocked. For a moment, she thought she had seen herself reflected back in the mirror, looking at it in her periphery. Looking at it directly however, there was nothing there, and she scowled at it.

"*Save your dreams Chara. Never gonna happen…" She quietly spat, reprimanding her wistful train of thought. Thankfully, she was able to adequately turn the taps in the bath off- they still dripped rather annoyingly, but as needs must, she tried to ignore it as she washed herself.

* * *

-X-

Once both children were reasonably ready, the beds and bathroom tidied by Frisk under Chara's strict jurisdiction, they left the room and locked it, making their way down for breakfast.

Frisk just watched with a small smile as Chara struggled to tie the ribbon back into her damp auburn hair- he dimly noticed how her eyes seem to more closely match her hair, not quite as vividly red as before.

Chara turned her exasperated gaze to catch him watching, and the boy quickly covered his act up by offering to tie it in for her, an offer which she gladly accepted. Quickly looking up and down the softly-lit hotel corridor they stood in, he made as best and rapid an effort he could muster, tying the ribbon in a crude butterfly knot.

He stepped back to admire his handiwork. Chara smiled at him, her eyes softening, rosy cheeks glowing. "*All done? I'm hungry so let's… go?" Her chirpy voice developed into confusion. She watched quizzically as Frisk seemed to flush, eyes widening and quickly turning away from her.

"Y-Yeah! L-Let's go!" the boy spluttered, awkwardly reaching for her hand. Chara made up the distance to his hand, grabbing it with hers as he turned rather sharply and led her down to the hotel lobby. She felt her heart race faster- his hand was very warm.

The two perturbed children made it to the counter where their host stood, smiling toothily as she spotted Frisk. "So you had a good night? I didn't see your friend arrive…" Clover greeted, sounding apologetic. The boy nodded, forcing a toothy smile past his inner-turmoil.

"Yes I did, thank you Miss! …Is breakfast being served?" Frisk asked hopefully, instinctively perking up at the prospect of food. The rabbit-lady nodded.

"Indeed it is my child! What would you like? There's cereal, egg, beans on toast…" Clover began to recite, counting with her furred fingers as she listed off the menu. Chara squeezed his hand.

"*Ooh! I want the egg and beans on toast! Say that Frisk! It's been way too long…!" The girl requested excitedly, moving to his side and leaning toward him, as if she was begging. Frisk felt himself heating up again as he quickly nodded and spoke.

"Erm… Could I please have two plates of egg and beans on toast… with two mugs of that nice tea you made last night too?" Frisk anxiously responded, feeling even more embarrassed as their host frowned at him, puzzled.

"That'd be okay, but is your friend actually here? She'll have to come down soon…" Clover warned, leaning over the counter so she could look up the stairs dubiously. Spotting Frisk struggle to answer, Chara rolled her eyes and squeezed his hand to get the boy's attention.

"*Just say you're really hungry or something, or that maybe your _friend_ will be arriving soon. Easy peasy Frisk." Chara advised, drawling. Ignoring her tone but still smiling gratefully, he relayed his partner's first suggestion to their host.

Clover seemed to accept this, but still regarded the boy uncertainly. "Wouldn't you rather two portions on one plate?" The woman asked. Frisk shook his head quickly, his blush outmatching Chara's once again.

"Two plates please." He affirmed bluntly. Chara giggled at the confusion on Clover's face, blinking in mystification. Partially to get his point across, and also in reaction to his partner, he pouted childishly. This just seemed to incense Chara further, but also sufficiently persuaded the rabbit.

"Well… okay I guess… If you want to take a small table through there, I'll bring you your breakfast." Clover shook her head in defeat, pointing toward a door that led to a large dining room. At this, Frisk nodded and led his otherwise unseen, giggling companion by the hand to where he was directed.

As the boy passed through the threshold and disappeared out of sight, Clover went to go prepare his food. "What a strange child…" She muttered to herself as she worked. Not only did he look different, which she just attributed to the sleep, but she could have _sworn_ she heard that same girly laughter from the night before.

"I'm hearing things… Hah! I need a holiday!" The rabbit hotel-owner laughed almost maniacally to herself as she went about making the food, unaware of the worried looks her little son was sending her in the kitchen.

* * *

-X-

Breakfast was a new experience for Frisk, having never eaten _green_ eggs before. At least the baked beans weren't dissimilar, nor the toast. After helping Chara cut up her food, for she wasn't quite able to manipulate a knife properly, he followed her example and ate greedily.

Thankfully no one else was present for breakfast, Frisk had realised, lest he be forced to explain the floating cutlery and disappearing food before him…

Soon enough they were on their way out of the hotel, into the unchanging environment of Snowdin. Frisk thanked Clover once again, to which she responded cheerily, "Anytime my child! Next time though, you'll have to pay!" Both children were perturbed by her shrill, wild laughter, and quickly left.

Into another scene that Frisk had only dreamed of.

The night before, he hadn't paid too much attention to the town, intent only on getting a place to rest their heads. This time, he looked around in wonder, his grasp on Chara's hand quivering.

It was like a scene from a Christmas poster- decorated fir trees, with hanging baubles and canes, log-cabin buildings swathed in snow and multi-coloured fairy lights. The largest fir tree, which sat at the centre of town was far more meticulously decorated, a gold, winged-sphere atop the pinnacle of its crown. Underneath it were presents- all wrapped in shiny, metallic foil and labelled for their recipient.

And then there were the _residents_.

A variety of different shapes and sizes they were- many were smaller than Frisk, but a few loomed even higher than Toriel or Papyrus did. Intimidating, until they smiled at the boy as they passed, and greeted "Good Morning young monster!" in a cheerful, if a little puzzled voice.

It was as if he had been dropped right into a fairy tale.

' _Don't be silly, they don't exist!'_ Frisk reproached himself, turning with a wide, sunny smile to Chara. The girl seemed wistful, but was smiling too, looking happily around.

Excitably, Frisk led Chara in the direction of the Christmas tree, it having drawn most of his attention. It was here he could see, mingled with some of the other monsters who were eagerly checking over the gifts, just who the presents were addressed from.

Unleashed within him, was the small child. Frisk turned to Chara with a wide smile and twinkling eyes. He grabbed her entwined hand with both of his, shaking it slightly. "Is Santa real, Chara?! I never knew! I…I!" He babbled, his tumultuous feelings about her quashed in this moment of realisation.

Chara felt her cheeks burn at his energy, struggling to answer. She knew the truth. "*Well, yeah… But-…" Her answer was drowned out by the cries of two monster children at the base of the tree, who wandered excitedly up to the boy.

"Of _course_ he's real! Why, have you never got a present from Santa?" Spoke the first child. At first glance, he was very similar to Chara and Frisk, wearing an oversized yellow and brown striped-sweater not unlike theirs. However, it became quickly apparent that whilst he was bipedal and wore distinctly similar clothes… he had no arms. His skin was serpentine- scaled, beige-yellow, and had a wide, ridged face and slit green eyes.

The second child seemed far more reserved- she looked not dissimilar to Clover, the hotel owner. Only smaller, and less cheerful. She was wearing a blue and yellow striped sweater, and navy blue pants. "Yeah, he gives presents to everyone! I'm sure yours is in here somewhere…"

Frisk blinked in shock at the unexpected duo. "W-well… no I haven't. I'm not from around here, so…" he stuttered, the two monster children's faces falling as one at his words.

"You're kidding, right? C'mon, let's go find them! …Erm, what's your name? So we can help you!" The armless child offered excitedly, seeming to teeter on his wide, clawed feet waiting for Frisk's answer.

Taken more and more aback by the suddenness of it all, Frisk hesitantly answered. "M-my name is Frisk… I-I don't… Wha-!" His attempt at refusing their offer was brusquely denied- the armless child moved behind him and shoved, whilst the small-rabbit child grabbed one of his hands and tugged him toward the tree.

Frisk looked helplessly toward Chara, who merely stood there in shock as her partner was absconded by the boisterous monsters. "Frisk, huh? My name is Suzy, and that guy behind you is Sid! I don't think we've _ever_ seen a monster like you before, Frisk! Where do you come from?" Suzy the rabbit introduced both of the boy's kidnappers, needling questions at him with bare-restraint.

Thinking of what Chara had told him earlier, he quickly thought of a place. He couldn't very well say that he was from the surface, lest his and Chara's cover be blown! "Erm… New Home. Yes! That's w-where I'm from!" He rattled off lamely as he was pushed.

Thankfully, the two other children seemed to accept it. "New Home, huh? That's a long way from here! But… Why haven't you gotten a present from Santa then? He _lives_ there you know!" Sid explained, huffing as he shoved an uncooperative Frisk toward the presents.

Suddenly, both monsters gasped and looked at each other with wide eyes. Alarmed, Frisk timidly brought his free hand to his chest, clutching his jacket tightly as they both slowly turned back and peered at him with narrowed eyes.

"You haven't been _naughty_ have you?" Both Suzy and Sid asked accusingly, watching Frisk intently. The boy wilted under their stare, his lip quivering, hands shaking.

"N-no! I…I…! Nobody… I never…!" Tears started to creep out of Frisk's auburn eyes, his words deteriorating into senseless babble.

Wrenching his other hand free from Suzy's, Frisk dipped his head, turned and _ran_ , deriving many a shocked gasp and quizzical murmur from the nearby monsters.

As the boy ran down the street, past the library and out of sight, both Suzy and Sid turned to each other, the shock on their faces becoming reproving. "This was _your_ fault!" snapped Suzy as she jabbed a finger into Sid's chest.

Reeling back from the force of her jabbing, Sid opened his mouth to retort. His words remained unheard though as both he and Suzy were bowled over by two snowballs, viciously thrown at their respective heads.

They thought of searching for the source of the rapid, retreating footsteps they heard, believing it to be their attacker. But once they had cleared their faces covered with snow, there was no sign of the culprit. As if they had been attacked by a ghost.

* * *

-O-

Chara ran after Frisk, calling out to him desperately. She wished she hadn't taken the time to exact what little revenge she could on the two imbeciles by the tree, despite how satisfying it had been. To her dismay, whenever she hollered his name, the other monsters walking along the streets seemed to _notice_.

They looked around in surprise, scratching at their ears or rubbing their heads. Chara tried to ignore this when she spotted it happening, focussing on finding Frisk. It didn't quell the unknown sinking-feeling she was experiencing however, which was only compounded by her worry.

Racing down one route out of town, she finally spotted him to her great relief. He was sat, sobbing against a tree. Beyond him the road led down to the fast river they had spotted before, only instead of a sheer drop, the path would bring them to the riverbanks.

' _*So the other road is the way out of town_. _'_ She mused, moving toward her partner. Pausing, she faintly remembered a small stall headed by an overly cheery looking rabbit man in bright red and yellow overalls.

There it was again! The _guilt_.

"*If it makes Frisk happy, then it's worth it." Chara assured herself. She went in search of the stall, hoping that the boy wouldn't leave until she returned. She could just _feel_ Frisk's reprimand, expecting it once he found out.

With her new feelings, had it been for anyone else, that reprimand might have stopped her.

* * *

-X-

"*Hey partner." Frisk dimly heard the voice of Chara as she approached, turning his head in her direction, but not looking up at her. He thought he had no more tears to give, but he felt them threatening behind his eyes as she neared.

' _How embarrassing, she must think'_ Frisk thought negatively, bringing his knees up to his chin from where he sat. His back was to a tree, facing the path toward the river. Here, he had wailed to his heart's content, away from them all.

"*I brought Nice Cream! Here, have one!" Chara offered, smiling and handing to him what looked like a toffee apple, only covered in chocolate. As the boy snapped to look at her in shock, he noticed a fine sheen of sweat across her brow, her hands shaking as they held the treats.

Instinctively, he arose and took both of the ice-creams from her, shimmying out of Sans' jacket and guiding her to sit on it under the tree. Chara sat down ungracefully, nodding her thanks and breathing heavily.

Frisk looked at the treats suspiciously. "Where did you get these?" He asked quietly, suspicious. Chara responded by raising her brow tiredly, unapologetic.

"*You could be a little more gracious you know! It was hard to get hold of those, and you needed cheering up!" She snapped defensively. The girl watched as Frisk laid the ice-creams gently into the snow, and kneeled down beside her.

His expression was unreadable as he slowly put his arms around her and hugged tightly, as he liked to do. "*H-hey! It's okay! Besides… I, uh… kinda had to steal those…" Chara admitted amid Frisk's mumbled thanks, awkwardly trying to respond to his hug.

Though the force of it seemed to diminish slightly, Frisk continued to hold onto her for a few moments, remaining silent. When he eventually pulled back, he drew one of his hands to furiously brush at his previously hidden tears.

Chara felt her lip quiver at the sight, tears of her own threatening. She grabbed his free hand and squeezed. "*What's the matter Frisk? Was it what they had said?" The girl gently pried, hoping he would trust her.

He nodded. Allowing him the time to pull himself together, she gave his hand one last squeeze and laboriously crawled over to retrieve the treats she had barely managed to obtain.

Moving awkwardly back to her spot, she handed one to a listless Frisk, and held the other in both her hands, taking a greedy bite. Immediately, her expression contorted to one of pain- they were very cold, and did what ice creams tend to do when eaten too quickly.

Frisk smiled at her display, chuckling shakily as he rubbed the last of the dampness out of his sore eyes. Taking deep breaths, attempting to control his voice, he spoke. "Thank you, Chara. For everything… but we need to pay back whoever you stole these from…"

Chara just groaned. "*You see I _knew_ you were gonna say that! Fine! But not till you've eaten it!" She exclaimed, her mouth full. Sneering at him, she took another too big of a bite, in an attempt to make him laugh at her brain-freeze antics. She felt herself warm in spite of the cold snow and ice cream when he giggled lightly.

The boy stared wistfully at the Nice Cream in his hand, twisting it around with his fingers, yet to take a bite. He needed to say something, _anything_ to explain himself. To Chara at the very least; she certainly deserved it.

"I… I was telling the truth. I've never had a Christmas present before. I didn't think Santa was real until today, because he never came. But now…" Frisk mumbled, stopping himself as he felt his lips tremble. Chara just looked at him with wide-eyes, infuriated as she understood his unsaid words.

"*Those _utter_ … Ugh! Frisk, Santa down here… he's the king of all monsters. Asgore. My… Everyone down here has had Santa visit because he's a monster, like them. Up there, with the _humans_ … He isn't real. It's all just greed and lies and…" Chara gnashed her teeth, stopping her rant short. She did _not_ want Frisk to know quite yet.

She wasn't sure if she wanted anyone to know. How much they had hurt her.

Even so, Frisk stared at her with a wondering expression. "*That's why you've never had a present Frisk. It's not your fault or anyone else's. I reckon pretty soon, with the way you're going you're going to be getting lots of presents! Hey, think about it- that Nice Cream is my present to you! Just…Erm… forget about how I got hold of it…" Chara finished her tirade awkwardly. Her voice had softened throughout and she had grabbed his hand once more, matching his stare with a resolute yet lopsided smile.

What Frisk said next shocked her to the core.

"I wish I had met you sooner."

Her mouth dropped open for a moment as she digested her own thoughts reciprocated back at her. Her heart raced, seeing his soft smile, and glimmering red-brown eyes. He was _admiring_ her. Chara clenched his hand firmly and stopped gawking, quirking her mouth back into an even fiercer smile.

"*You and me both, partner. Now eat up, or it'll melt!" She quipped, returning to her own half-eaten ice cream. As she watched his smile become stronger, and begin to do as he was told, she took the time to try and understand why the both of them were so hot, despite it being so cold.

* * *

-X-

The children, one sensitive and the other feeling rather defensive of the other, slowly made their way back into the town.

Despite the pain they had brought up, Frisk knew the monsters were sincere. Everything that Chara had said, about Santa, Asgore and their traditions… Once more he was affirmed of their shared goal.

They had to free them. They _must_.

Looking around, he could now see the despondency. He had been blinded before by the glitz and the presents, but when he looked at their _faces_ … They weren't happy. Everything they had down here, it wasn't enough.

 _He_ had left Toriel after all, instead of staying with her, both he and Chara living peacefully in the Ruins. If anyone deserved more, it was these people. Who was he to not try and help, in spite of the misunderstandings, in spite of the strange looks which he was still receiving even now?

After _discreetly_ placing a golden coin on the Nice Cream vendor's counter, Frisk emboldened himself as they walked toward the exit out of Snowdin. Chara prodded him in the shoulder as they went, and she pointed back at the stall.

"*Frisk, I think you gave that guy a little too much…" She joked, both children watching as the rabbit-man in overalls seemed to whoop in excitement, his long, otherwise floppy ears defying gravity. Frisk smiled contentedly at Chara, squeezing her hand as they turned and continued on.

They passed small homes, a library, a bar, and finally a large two-storey house covered in fairy lights before they reached the other end of town. Before them, a long but straight road into a looming tunnel.

Despite his resolve, there was one thing nagging Frisk at the back of his mind. Papyrus. Neither of them had seen head or tail of him or his brother since the day before, despite his promise.

Apprehension, a feeling of doom. Both of them felt it, but as they glanced at each other, one with a small lopsided smile, the other rather cheeky, they pressed on. Hand in hand and closer than ever.

* * *

-X-

 **A/N:** Phew! HAPPY NEW YEARS EVERYONE!

I ended it there because it was starting to become a little long. I think… I went a little overboard on the sap here… And yes, I know about Gyftrot. If there's anything blatantly wrong or erroneous though, please, tell me.

So, a big thanks to (deep breath): PhoenixCaptain, erenia0324, allen Vth, jack hopper, Guest, Me3e3e, imnotraven16, Arashi IV of VI, RustyBuckets and Akayuki Novak for their lovely comments! Furthermore I would like to thank everyone who followed and favorited, and RoxyConan-Kun, allen Vth and Akayuki Novak for their continued discussion with me! Thanks guys!

Above all though, I would like to thank PhoenixCaptain, who provided me with the inspiration to start writing in the first place!

So- as a final note, I've edited some errors I spotted in chapters 16 and 17, and between now and the next chapter I'm going to go through my story and fix any other glaring errors whilst putting my new line-breaks in. That means it could be a _little_ longer for the next chapter, but hey. I love you all, see you next time!


	19. Sentry

Chapter Nineteen – Sentry

-X-

The two children walked along the path to the tunnel in a sombre mood. After the confrontation with the kids by the tree and the thick grey fog rolling in ahead, tension was high.

Despite this, it didn't stop Chara from attempting to elevate the atmosphere, chattering happily to Frisk about the outwardly ominous tunnel before them. "*If I remember right, the tunnel takes us through Waterfall! Now that place is pretty Frisk! You think the stars here are good, wait till we get in there!"

Chara alternated between staring ahead and staring sideways at Frisk. She tried to ignore the fact that the entrance was rapidly becoming obscured by fog… and that her heart seemed to quicken whenever he looked back at her in the eye, smiling his soft smile. So… she talked, knowing that even the sound of someone's voice would help them both.

Every time Frisk felt the anxiety in his chest rise, he would squeeze Chara's hand and look at her face, to remind him that wasn't alone. Each time he did, she was already looking back at him, her expression seemingly serene as she spoke. There was something in her eyes… He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he smiled at her, relishing that her cheeks seemed to become rosier.

Never had someone done as much for him as Chara had. The moment he came down here, she was always with him. Not long ago, she had comforted him, stayed with him. Whenever he looked her in the eye, it felt like tears would breach, an adrenaline rush. He had never been more elated to finally have such a good friend.

Happiness. It was almost enough to drown out the utter, scratching sensation of _dread_ that blanketed them as they entered the mist. As they breathed in, the moist, cold air gnawed at their chests, their breath contributing to the oppressive pall.

The fear, the freezing air, their lofty goals, all of it… It begged them to turn back, discontinue their journey. Not for the first time, Frisk wanted to go back to Toriel, take Chara with him and live happily. Each time, he had to remind himself of what he would be abandoning, and he squeezed her hand.

That was what both of them were doing now, instinctively huddling closer to one another as their perceptions were reduced.

Still they continued, further and further. Even as the sounds of nature around them quietened- the roaring of the river silenced, the crisp breeze a distant memory.

Even when it felt like they were going in circles, they went on. Chara had stopped talking altogether, and they both focussed on the sound of their breaths, the feeling of their hand clenched in the other.

It was as if the world itself was trying to persuade them to _stop._ Turn around. That they didn't have to do this.

Were Frisk or Chara by themselves, they might have been faint enough to listen, run away wailing or screaming. Together they had promised. Through all temptation or fear.

Crunch.

The howl of wind. Light.

There.

They both stopped, finally. It was not the world, the mist or their fear that rooted them to the ground. All the same, Frisk was nervous, and Chara was uncertain. A silhouette, piercing through the veil. The fog lifting.

Papyrus.

* * *

-X-

"SO EVEN THE DARN FOG WASN'T ABLE TO STOP YOU. YOU REALLY…" The tall skeleton stood with his back to them, speaking with a solemn voice that rang throughout the mist. His posture was straight, gloved hands on his hips, foot splayed slightly out, tapping it as if impatient. They couldn't see his face- an air of superiority indicative that the boy wasn't worth his time. And yet…

He was trembling.

Convulsing even. Not with the cold, for that would have been ridiculous for a monster like him. The tremors were pronounced, heavy on his shoulders. They could hear him rasp with each hollow breath he took.

He turned around, and the oppressive pall seemed to pull away, as if the curtains were opened to a darkened room.

Papyrus' face was a picture of distress. Gone was the beaming grin he had always greeted them with. Gone were his eyes lit with innocent delight. His teeth were clenched, his eyes expressing melancholy instead.

"WHY. WHY COULDN'T YOU HAVE BEEN MEAN, EVIL? NO! INSTEAD, YOU'RE SMART! STRONG! YOU LOVE PUZZLES, AND JAPES, AND SPAGHETTI! AND MOST OF ALL…" Papyrus leaned until he was nearly on his knees, his arms outstretched toward Frisk, shaking as if he was pleading.

"…YOU LIKE ME! SURELY, THE JOY OF FINDING ME, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, MUST HAVE WASHED YOU OF YOUR EVIL WAYS! AND YET…" The tall skeleton dropped his hands, and looked to the ground, his eyes in shadow. Frisk, feeling the lump build in his throat, and the tears threatening once again, walked toward him, Chara in close tow behind.

"Mister Papyrus, please…" The boy spoke softly, his lips trembling, the girl firmly squeezing his hand. "You don't-!" Frisk was interjected by Papyrus, who seemed to collect himself, pointing a finger accusingly at the boy, snarling.

"IT'S NOT FAIR! YOU WANT TO BE MY FRIEND! _I_ WANT TO BE YOUR FRIEND! IF ONLY YOU WERE EVIL, THEN I COULD CAPTURE YOU WITHOUT A SECOND-THOUGHT! BUT NO-! YOU HAD TO BE SO DARN _NICE_ , SO DARN _LOVABLE_ , SO…" Papyrus paused his incensed rant, taking a deep breath, his eyes bulging out dangerously far. Frisk merely cowered down at the volume of it, hands over his ears, whilst Chara stood strong against the blisteringly loud histrionics.

"…LIKE ME! YOU HAD TO GO AND MAKE THIS DIFFICULT, _DIDN'T YOU_? BUT… I STILL HAVE TO CAPTURE YOU! I…" The shaking skeleton seemed to run out of steam, and his arms fell listlessly to his sides once more, his posture weakening as he frowned at something in the distance.

"…NO. EVEN IF YOU WERE EVIL, I DON'T THINK I COULD DO IT EASILY. I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THEY WANT YOU _FOR_ , FRISK, BUT I PROMISED UNDYNE… IF I CAPTURE A HUMAN, I CAN BECOME A ROYAL GUARD. THAT'S ALL I'VE EVER WANTED UNTIL NOW! BUT…" Papyrus looked at Frisk, lost, his mouth agape.

Chara squeezed Frisk's hand in encouragement. "* _Talk_ to him Frisk! He doesn't want to do this at all! You want to be friends, right? Work your magic, I _know_ you can!" She whispered, fearful in case Papyrus might hear. With a last encouraging squeeze, Frisk's expression developed from anguished to a tight grimace.

His lips were taut, but he still glanced at Chara as he talked; she was smiling at him confidently, lifting his spirits. Frisk opened his shaking arms in mollification, and began to speak. "Papyrus, I don't… I may never be great as you… but I believe you will be a royal guardsman one day! I want to be your friend, so that I can watch you get there! _I believe in you_! So what if they say you need to capture me? You're too good for them anyway! So please… be my fr-"

Frisk cut short his desperate persuasion as Papyrus gasped, and seemed to _laugh_. His body was shuddering, and he was breathing hoarsely once again. He had lifted both his hands to his skull-face, obscuring it from view. Both children approached him slowly, but apprehensively. The boy steeled his expression into a tight smile, trying to quell his own shaking.

It was as Frisk got within three arms-lengths of him that he realised he wasn't laughing. Papyrus was trying to _cry_. What the boy wanted to say next hitched in his throat at this realisation. Chara too, hiccoughed quietly at the scene. Empathy, learning from her partner, how _good_ it felt to make friends, even as vicarious as it was… Seeing Papyrus now leading her to finally realise...

That maybe she wanted to be his friend too.

Abruptly, the tall skeleton whipped his head out of his hands, expression utterly distraught. He leapt backward, covering a much larger distance than there had been between them originally. He stumbled as he landed, but never did he take his doleful eyes off the boy.

"NO! STAY BACK! WE CAN'T BE FRIENDS! I PROMISED! AND I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, DO _NOT_ BREAK PROMISES!" Papyrus roared gutturally. He straightened, and gestured wildly to his sides, arms reaching out.

It was as if the Earth itself responded to his motion; the ground rumbled with rapidly increasing intensity, the two children staggered and held onto one another for balance as it shook. They watched Papyrus growling and gesturing strangely, as if he was pulling an invisible sword out of the ground.

It was then that they saw them.

Frisk gawked fearfully as hundreds of _bones_ rose out of the ground all around them. He fell forward, instinctively clutching onto Chara's arms. The girl's normally mischievous visage was wrought with desperation, gripping onto the boy herself as she dropped with him.

Shaking him to get his attention, Chara spoke quickly when he looked at her with frantic eyes. "*Listen! We'll have to get to him Frisk, so we can stop this! Stop him!" Frisk shook his head vigorously.

"I can't fight him! I don't _want_ to fight him!" Frisk wailed. In response, Chara pulled him into a strong embrace, her frightened face hidden from his. She whispered into his ear, the hot breath making his skin tingle despite everything.

"*We just need to get close to him! We don't have to fight, just get to him, hold onto him and don't let go! You can do this Frisk!" She pulled away as she finished her encouragement, mustering as strong a smile as she could for him.

His lips were trembling, he was on the verge of tears, just wailing once more. But as he looked at Chara, so confident in him she was… Frisk nodded shakily, and they both supported one another as they arose to face Papyrus.

"Please Chara, stay with me." Frisk whispered, stressing each word pleadingly. She nodded immediately, squeezing his arms. It went without saying.

The skeleton was watching the boy with a grave expression, giving Frisk the time he needed. He didn't notice or recognise that he was talking to someone, not that he could behind the haze of doubt distracting him.

As soon as the boy started to approach, he held one gloved hand out, palm raised toward him. When he halted, Papyrus spoke evenly, his red scarf fluttering behind him.

"FRISK. I… I AM SORRY I HAVE TO CAPTURE YOU… BUT MAYBE… WHEREVER YOU ARE TAKEN… I CAN COME VISIT YOU. MAYBE WHEN YOU'RE FREED… WE CAN BE FRIENDS. I'M SURE YOU WOULD LIKE THAT, FOR NO THERE CAN BE NO BETTER FRIEND THAN I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS!" The tall skeleton finished his grave apology by ripping a bone out of the ground, chambering it behind him for a throw.

It was aimed right at Frisk. "I AM SORRY." Papyrus repeated once more, doleful. He threw the bone, not unlike a spear, toward the boy.

Frisk, his adrenaline pumping and focussed ahead, dodged the long spine-like appendage easily, keeping his gaze fixed on Papyrus.

"*Look out!" Chara cried, pointing forcefully at something to his opposite side. To his surprise, two bones had dislodged themselves out of the ground and were _flying_ at him under their own power.

' _Magic again?!'_ Frisk's mind raced as he struggled to avoid them, watching as Chara jumped out of their way as well, quickly running back to his side. If Papyrus could make them rise out of the ground like that… then this first display was nothing surely!

Frisk tried to quash his doubt once more, fixated on the agitated skeleton. Papyrus wasn't even looking at them, focussing intensely on the bones, not wanting to watch.

Once more the children tried moving forward. In response, Papyrus sent a rapid volley of thrown bones, which again Frisk managed to dodge. Expecting it this time, he swept his gaze around quickly, anticipating more racing at him from different directions.

As expected, three bones lodged in the ground behind him shook violently, pried out by an invisible force, and then flying toward him rapidly as if magnetised. This time Frisk had to drop to the floor to avoid them, rolling over as one scraped along the ground dangerously close to his hand.

"*Keep going we've got this!" Chara exclaimed, offering her hand to him as she raced to his side. Papyrus watched as Frisk arose and seemed to thank the thin-air. The skeleton frowned at the display, but gritted his large teeth as he put his hands together, grumbling.

Frisk felt more and more encouraged. They had both started moving toward Papyrus again when Chara suddenly gripped his arm, stopping him. Seeing where her open-mouthed gaze was directed, he looked at their unwilling adversary.

Between Papyrus' gloved hands was a teal light, which increased in intensity as he parted them further. When they were at arm's-length apart, the brilliant glow appeared to condense into a familiar shape, though it was not solid.

It was as if he held a bone made out of rippling, glowing-blue water. Frisk would have thought it pretty were Papyrus not chambering to throw it at him as well. He made to dodge it as he had done before, unwilling to let it strike him.

Chara held fast to his arm, squeezing him almost painfully tight this time. "*Don't move!" She barked, Frisk desperately trying to get away. All his instincts told him to move as Papyrus let the crystalline object fly at him; they were overridden only by his sheer trust for her.

He closed his eyes tightly as the bone made it nearly to him, awaiting the pain.

Breathe.

A cool, almost caressing feeling passed through him, making him involuntarily flinch as it left.

He opened his eyes to see Papyrus looking at him quizzically, whilst Chara exhaled a sigh of relief. Frisk stared at his partner with wide-eyes, uncaring if Papyrus saw him doing so.

"*That was _blue-magic_ , it can't harm you if you aren't moving too much. We'll have to... Watch out!" Chara shouted before she could finish explaining, pointing again behind Frisk.

Just because he'd thrown something different this time, didn't mean the _other_ bones would stop; both children realised this just in time. Frisk leapt away from the spot, barely managing to avoid the bones which crashed and splintered where he had just stood.

Papyrus growled in frustration. He so desperately didn't want to hurt Frisk, but he kept coming forward! Why couldn't he just go back?! Maybe upping the ante would make him give up, scare him, so he didn't have to fight anymore! But… This time, the boy did not falter, and started to _run_ toward him.

Frisk watched as Papyrus quickly pulled another bone out of the ground and threw it underarm at him. He easily dodged, and stopped, turning around quickly in readiness for the follow-up attack.

As Frisk prepared himself, the sight of the multitude of bones ripping out of the ground, angled toward him, Chara's face dropped in horror as she watched Papyrus, who was quickly preparing another blue-bone.

He had pulled too far ahead- she wouldn't get there in time! "*FRISK NO!" Chara screamed as the boy leapt once again out of the path of the volley he had been concentrating on… and unwittingly into the path of the blue-attack.

It was aimed high. Frisk whipped his head around as he was moving in response to Chara, who was sprinting at him with the most terrified expression he had ever seen.

Pain.

Dull, throbbing pain as he was clubbed in left temple, lashing his head sideways at the utter force of it.

Vision swimming, darkness racing in from the edges. As he dimly noted the ground approaching him, he thought he heard the sound of a kettle whistling.

And his name being called by the girl he so admired.

* * *

-O-

It had felt like a spear of ice through her heart, her stomach.

She was clutching desperately onto the boy, kneeling on the ground as his bleeding head laid in her lap.

She could feel his slow, hot breath on her cold hands, prompting her to check where she could for a pulse. Sensing the rapid thrumming against her fingers, relief flushed through her, gladdening her more than anything. He was still alive!

It was as if the world had become greyer, her periphery becoming blurred, her happiness and spirit seemingly absconded with the boy's consciousness. Dizzying tunnel-vision. Something _else_.

Not that she cared, only keeping her eyes on Frisk.

Chara had begun to sob as she brushed his now matted-hair away from where his scalp was weeping its ichor. The skin all around it was already an angry red, and very hot. She needed to get him away… but how?

She barely registered the crunching of hesitant footsteps approaching. As soon as she did though, her despairing lamentation was almost completely quelled, replaced by white-hot anger.

How _could_ he? Frisk had only wanted to be his friend! _She_ wanted him to be his friend! Chara instinctively felt her hands clasp into tight fists as she turned to look at Papyrus, her teeth bared in a snarl.

Papyrus had heard the voice as it was happening, a scream. He could only watch in abject horror as his attack struck Frisk, the boy tumbling to the ground, not getting up.

Utter shame. How could he do this to the one who wanted to be his friend? How could he call himself 'great', if all he ended up doing was hurting?

The tall skeleton fell to his knees a few feet from Frisk's comatose body, utterly distraught. He could only stare, disbelieving.

Meanwhile, Chara was struggling.

' _*…_ _ **kill or be killed. No amount of niceness will take that away**_ _.'_

The mantra that Flowey had maintained. _Asriel_ had maintained. But then why…

Why did it feel like they were _her_ words, not his?

She was caught, in a war of wills. Something primal, something from _before_ , demanded she got up and _fight_ Papyrus. He was forgettable, surely Frisk wouldn't mind?

No.

He was not.

It wouldn't help Frisk.

The boy needed her with him more than Papyrus or anyone else needed punishing.

Shaking the red haze out of her head, she glared at the skeleton, still snarling. He wasn't even moving. If anything he looked absolutely devastated.

Looking back to the boy in her lap, she felt herself calm down. If Frisk believed in Papyrus, believed in her… How could she call herself his friend if she did that?

Taking deep breaths, closing her eyes, the rage began to leave her, as if a weight had been cut-loose. Squeezing Frisk's listless hand once again, Chara reopened her eyes, feeling oddly washed-out.

She was soon snarling again as Papyrus approached.

"*Stay… back…!" Chara hollered, trying to pull Frisk away from the skeleton reaching his arms down. It didn't seem to have any effect, other than change Papyrus' upset expression to a frown.

She couldn't stop him as he took Frisk out of her arms, not that he even knew he was taking from anyone.

Papyrus frowned. It felt as if the earth was clinging onto the human, pulling him back to the ground. As if he didn't feel bad enough already, he was hearing strange whispers too! "AND NOW THE WORLD CONSPIRES AGAINST ME! I NEED TO CAPTURE HIM! HE'LL BE SAFER WITH ME THAN HE IS OUT HERE!" He wailed pitifully, trying to lift Frisk up in his arms.

Slowly but surely, he was able to stand up whilst holding the boy, the force lessening the higher he got. Once he was stood, he held Frisk to his chest with one hand, the other reaching up to his shoulder to retrieve the red scarf on his neck.

Wrapping the scarf awkwardly around Frisk's head, he hoped it would be enough to stop whatever that strange fluid was leaking out, long enough for him to get to his shed, and to Sans.

As he walked away, glancing ashamedly at the comatose boy in his arms, he could have sworn he heard the sound of a weeping lamentation following behind him. His expression darkened- he felt enough guilt without being haunted by the deceased!

* * *

-O-

Chara trudged after Papyrus, who was slowly leaving her behind. She had managed to let go of the attractive idea of revenge, but was now stuck following the culprit of their woes, unable to do anything. Helpless.

She was still sniffling, tears rolling down her rosy cheeks, unable to completely quell her sorrow. What if Frisk didn't get better? What would she do if he left her all alone, everything that made her _feel_ again taken with him? She couldn't lose a friend again.

The last thought brought energy to her legs, allowing her to make up the distance between her and Papyrus. Chara was determined that he would be alright. If he wasn't... If Frisk was not going to be okay…

Then maybe Flowey would be right, after all.

Shaking her head to rid herself of the negative thoughts, she noticed some things out of place.

For one, it was like the colour had been drained from everything.

Voices.

They weren't at Snowdin yet, but she could hear a voice… deep and masculine, vaguely familiar…

Golden petals, raining down from an indeterminate source above.

It was all too much. Chara _screamed_ , running forward.

Papyrus continued along at a sedate pace, regularly looking down at Frisk to make sure he was still breathing, and then looking away quickly, his jaw clenched tight.

The sound of a distant shriek on the wind chilled Papyrus to the core, the haunting cry starting behind him and echoing round in front of him. He uttered a small whimper, terrified.

Is this what Sans had meant? To have your sins catch up to you?

He had dismissed it as merely a story his brother told him when he was younger, trying to scare him into only doing good deeds. Closing his eyes, he sighed. He had failed, hadn't he? Becoming royal guard wasn't worth this.

* * *

-O-

Chara had stopped running as she got into the outskirts of town, trying vainly to catch her breath. She looked behind her to see Papyrus in the distance, quickly approaching.

The girl was all out of tears, all finished with crying. She rubbed at her brown eyes with her green sweater, feeling utterly hollow. As she waited for the tall skeleton, the whispering voices returned.

"*Stop it! Pull yourself together Chara! Frisk needs you!" She snapped derisively, shaking and pulling at her auburn hair miserably. As if in acquiescence, the voices quietened. For the moment.

As Papyrus passed by her, she continued following him listlessly. It was only when he approached a large, thick shed, next to the big two-storey house covered in fairy-lights, that her posture straightened, her expression suspicious.

Papyrus shuffled Frisk around in his arms, holding his unresponsive body in one hand once again whilst he reached into a pocket on his overly large uniform. After pulling out a key and inserting it into the lock of the shed-door, Chara hurried so that she would be able to enter.

The shed was dismal. Broken wooden floorboards made up the ground, the windows on the other side of the building cracked. There were huge wooden rafters crisscrossing haphazardly over the ceiling, and the walls were chipped in more than a few places.

As the tall skeleton laid Frisk down on a collection of blankets in the corner, Chara realised that this was where they were going to stay. At least it wasn't _too_ cold.

She moved over to the pile warily, keeping her distance from Papyrus, who had stepped back. He was looking around aimlessly, muttering to himself.

Chara sat on the blankets next to Frisk, taking his hand and squeezing. His skin was worryingly cold, but she could still feel his strong pulse. Whilst she could cover him with the blankets herself, the girl reasoned surprisingly that a little payback would be better suited.

"*Cover him up you moron!" She yelled, her voice echoing around the cabin, hoping it would work. Chara watched with a faint glimmer of amusement as Papyrus seemed to stiffen, eyes wide and his jaw clenching. He _could_ hear her!

"I-I-I'M SORRY DEAD LADY!" Papyrus whimpered, rushing over and grabbing a handful of the dusty blankets, wrapping Frisk around in them gently. Once he was done, he quickly rushed over to the door.

"I'M GOING TO FETCH SANS! I CAN'T LEAVE MY PRISONER IN SUCH A STATE, HE'LL KNOW WHAT TO DO!" He exclaimed resolutely, opening the door swiftly and slamming it shut.

Chara watched this all happen with one eyebrow raised, then returned to watching Frisk, her hand back in his after he'd been wrapped up in the blankets.

' _*That's the second person to give him something.'_ She realised, her other hand grasping the red fabric of the makeshift bandage around the boy's head. Gulping, Chara remembered the _other_ person to have given him something, what Papyrus had said finally registering with her.

Sans was coming here, and this time Frisk was not awake to derive his attention. She didn't know quite why she was so afraid of him. Was it because he was intimidating? Because it seemed that aside from the ghosts and Frisk, _he_ was the only one able to 'see' her?

Mustering what was left of her tattered will, she held steadfast onto Frisk's hand and waited for them to return.

* * *

-O-

Papyrus led his short brother to the shed, fretting and urging him along. "YOU ARE SO LAZY! I NEED YOU TO CHECK UP ON MY DETAINEE! HE MAY BE IN THE 'CAPTURE-ZONE', BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN HE SHOULDN'T GET HELP!" Papyrus moaned, walking backwards as he watched Sans trudge along.

"maybe it'd help if you told me what was wrong. you're not helping me out here." Sans said, yawning. Papyrus had dragged him from their large couch- his older brother deigning to rest there instead of taking the effort of going to his own room. He had found a replacement for the jacket he was lending to Frisk- a strange, tattered white trench-coat. In addition to the coat, he was also wearing black trousers. Papyrus numbly realised he had only seen his brother wear this once, long ago…

He was still wearing his ridiculous pink slippers however, the realisation of which shook Papyrus out of his reverie. "THEY'RE JUST… SOMEONE I CAPTURED. NO-ONE IMPORTANT. I STILL NEED YOU TO LOOK OVER THEM FOR ME!" At Papyrus' obvious evasion of his question, Sans simply stopped and looked at him.

"bro, you can't lie to me. i can see right through you." Sans said glibly, pointing at Papyrus' chest. The tall brother looked down to his chest at Sans' pointing, and then quickly turned his head up angrily, his eyes bulging out in ire.

"SANS! I SWEAR YOUR PUNS ARE GOING TO BE THE DEATH OF ME! …AND THE DEATH OF FRISK IF YOU DON'T HURRY UP!" Papyrus exclaimed irritably. As he realised what he just said, he covered his mouth with one hand, shocked, watching Sans' eyes widen, his grin diminish in surprise.

That got him hurrying.

The brothers burst into the shed, Papyrus sighing in relief as he noticed Frisk hadn't gone anywhere. What puzzled him was Sans breathing in sharply. Was that apprehension, or worry?

Chara watched carefully as both Sans and Papyrus approached them- she refused to leave Frisk's side again however, clenching his unresponsive hand. The short skeleton kneeled down on the boy's other side, carefully taking off the makeshift bandage.

Clicking his teeth, Sans untied the scarf from its knot, peering at the wound on Frisk's head. "just looks like a nasty concussion, though he'll still need this on. what did you hit him with?" He asked his brother, who was still standing.

"I TRIED TO CORNER HIM… PUSH HIM BACK. HE JUMPED RIGHT INTO A BLUE ATTACK, WHICH HIT HIM IN THE HEAD… I DIDN'T WANT TO HURT HIM…" Papyrus said remorsefully. Sans scoffed slightly, shaking his head slowly.

"it could have been worse. tell me though, if you really didn't want to hurt him, then why capture him? why not be his friend, like he wanted you to be?" The short skeleton asked, carefully tying the scarf in a much less-slipshod bandage. Papyrus leaned from one foot to the other.

"I… I MADE A PROMISE TO UNDYNE. AND I WANTED TO BE THE GREATEST ROYAL GUARD EVER! I…!" He explained, the uncertainty tainting his voice. When it became apparent he couldn't voice any more reasons, Sans turned to look at him seriously.

"is it worth it? i know you wanted to be his friend too. wherever undyne's gonna take him… it's going to be _bad_. you won't see frisk again. but… you'll be royal guard i guess. if you think it's still worth it, then kudos… assuming you can live with it." Sans spoke gravely, only taking his eyes off of Papyrus' when he finished. He arose from the floor and walked to one of the windows, hands in his coat pockets.

Papyrus was conflicted, both outwardly and inwardly. He wore his heart on his sleeve- it was clear he was uncertain. "I… DON'T KNOW. I DON'T THINK IT'S WORTH IT. BUT I'VE WAITED SO LONG…" Sans turned back to his brother, his perpetual grin lopsided.

"only you can be the judge of that bro. go. think on it. i'll keep watch, and will tell you when he's awake." Sans spoke gently but urgently. Papyrus didn't need a second prompt. The tall skeleton saluted his brother smartly, taking one doleful glance at Frisk before leaving.

* * *

-O-

Her heart was racing.

Chara had watched Sans primarily throughout the whole exchange between the brothers, but he didn't seem to pay any attention to her. She had noticed with relief that Frisk seemed to be breathing more evenly, and the bandage was more secure.

Despite her gratitude, it did not alleviate any of the anxiety she had whilst _he_ was still in here.

Sans was stood next to the window he had walked to during the previous conversation, peering out of it disinterestedly. He still seemed to take no notice of her, more interested on his thoughts. Occasionally, he would shuffle his hands around in his pockets, fidgeting. He didn't seem to make any noise, the only things to be heard were the light breeze outside, and Frisk's steady breathing beside her.

Chara couldn't bear it any longer, and crawled forward. "*…You can see me, can't you?" Even though she had spoken quietly, it was if her voice was a shout, ringing throughout the otherwise silent room.

Sans didn't react for the longest time, still staring out of the window. Just as she was starting to convince herself that he couldn't, he turned around to face her. His eyes were still pinpricks, and he shrugged, arms outstretched.

"was i being too obvious?" he said cheekily. His ever-present grin seemed to grow as he peered at her jovially. Chara felt her shock dissipate, and plastered a sneer on her face.

"*But how can you see me, when everyone but Frisk and the ghosts can't?" Chara questioned him suspiciously, her brown eyes narrowing at him.

Once again, he shrugged, a little less effort put into it this time. "i can't." Sans answered simply, turning away from her and looking up at the ceiling amusedly. Chara's face fell at his lame answer.

"*You can't? Then how can-!" The girl let out a startled shriek, clambering backwards as Sans _appeared_ before her in an instant, glaring down at her with empty eye-sockets.

" **I can** _ **feel**_ **you, Chara Dreemurr.** "

" **Your** _ **sin**_ **.** "

What frightened Chara the most was not Sans' intimidating appearance, but the guttural voice that rang throughout her head. It was… familiar. Holding her hands to her ears fearfully, she tried her best to stay by Frisk's side instead of running out of the door like she wanted to.

Sans' eyes turned back to normal, the usual eye-pinpricks returning. He frowned. "let me ask you something. …do you believe even the worst person can change? that everyone can be a good person, if they just try?" He voiced this question with unreserved sadness, but not once did he take his gaze off her.

Chara struggled to respond, stuttering. "*Y-yeah, I guess… I mean, I w-wasn't the n-nicest person before, but now I've met Frisk…" She tore her gaze from Sans, looking down at the unconscious boy. As she grabbed and squeezed his hand, she felt her abject fear drain away, the crawling feeling on her back lessen in its intensity.

The short skeleton huffed, though his smile seemed to return. "sure, that seems to be working out, and you seem to be doing quite well. but… do you think that absolves you of what you did in the past?" He asked gently, his voice low. Chara returned her gaze to Sans, face aghast.

"*But I don't even know what I did!" She cried, now holding Frisk's hand with both of hers. The skeleton looked puzzled, his frown deepening.

"…you really don't remember? so if i said you went looking for six more human souls with that brother of yours, you don't know what i'm talking about?" He said again in the same tone, though his expression became more perplexed as Chara answered.

"*I… remember our plan. _The_ plan. I don't remember if we ever got that far…" She responded distantly. It was all a muddle; leading up to it, and… whatever happened afterward. Chara supposed to herself half-heartedly that that's what death would do to a person.

Sans' eyes widened as he digested Chara's words, and sighed quietly. "okay, one more question. Did you ever think about what your plan would involve, _after_ you killed yourself?"

It was as if a wave of freezing water had washed over her.

Choking. She couldn't breathe. Voices shouting.

 _Petals_.

 _Blood_.

 _ **Agony.**_

Chara choked, grasping at her throat instinctively, her eyes wide. She shook her head desperately as Sans approached, one eye glowing bright blue, one skeletal hand coming to rest on her shoulder.

" **Breathe.** "

And so she did.

* * *

-S-

Sans slouched, standing over the two sleeping children, feeling immensely tired all of a sudden. He had returned the girl to the boy's side, and covered both of them with the thick, fuzzy blankets. The skeleton watched with amusement as the girl instinctively grabbed onto the boy, embracing him in her sleep.

Whichever one of them woke up first, he knew he'd relish their reaction!

His thoughts and expression darkened as he came to terms with what had just happened.

It was for the best, perhaps. Better she find a little bit about it now instead of later. _'maybe though, it would have been better had she never known.'_ He pondered sadly. Sans would hold Chara to her word- if Frisk _was_ making her a better person, then it was the absolute best result anyone could have asked for, particularly with how she looked at him…

After what he had seen, Sans now had the utmost faith in the boy, and the girl. Maybe together, they could set things right. For the monsters, and for each other.

The other, slight possibility… Well. He wouldn't grace it with a description.

* * *

-X-

 **A/N:** Boosh. So, I hope you like this! Why is Sans so fun to write? …I know I promised I would check over and edit my previous chapters, and that's still happening. But I wanted to get this and the next chapter done first! That said, from now on my updates are going to slow down a little bit as work starts once again. For that, I'm sorry. But I can tell you I'm more motivated than ever for this story! (But not for battle scenes…)

A big thank you (which is hard, since the reviews don't seem to be appearing properly) to: Two Guests, PhoenixCaptain, Akayuki Novak, allen Vth, TheEmeraldQueen (I sorely want to talk to you!), imnotraven16, jack hopper, Arashi IV of VI and RustyBuckets for the lovely reviews and comments! I'd also further like to thank PhoenixCaptain, allen Vth, Akayuki Novak and RoxyConan-Kun for their continued discussion with me! Last but not least, thanks to all of those who favorited and followed! I hope you'll continue to enjoy this!

So Frisk was swallowed by the darkness… eh? See you next time…


	20. Reconciliation

Chapter Twenty – Reconciliation

-X-

 _He was falling._

 _Falling into the endless dark._

 _The echo of a distant drumbeat. Far below._

 _The boy opened his eyes, the blackness tearing in with the wind._

 _What had happened?_

 _Papyrus._

 _Chara screaming his name._

 _Pain, confusion as he fell. Continues to fall._

 _Except…_

 _His head hurt. His stomach hurt. He was nauseous._

 _Was he dead?_

 _In between the fiery pain, in his stomach, in his clouded, throbbing head… He saw them._

 _Hands._

 _Either side of him. Palms facing toward him, outstretched._

 _They were small, dwarfed even by the boy's. A large, almost perfectly circular hole cut through them._

 _He reached toward them sluggishly, struggling through the molasses of the air._

 _Grasping for them, it became apparent they were either a figment, or just elusive._

 _Or terrifyingly huge, and far away. Coming closer._

 _Closer._

 _Now it was reversed; the hands dwarfed him. As the skeletal fingers of each hand closed in ready to grasp him, he screamed._

 _No sound came out._

 _It started in his stomach, fire rising._

 _Working up his throat. The boy brought his arms close._

 _He retched into his hands, not even caring as he was caged._

 _Golden petals, covered in vivid red blood. The only colour in this place._

 _The sight of it provoked more, until his hands were awash._

 _He felt faint, faint with pain._

 _Attempting to speak, he spluttered, the wretched, poisoned blood not quite finished its escape._

 _As if in response, the ever-enclosing hands retracted. The boy looked up, into the face of his captor._

 _A melted, morbid white visage. Black, hollow eyes, and a withered, vacant smile._

 _The red star lighting them both._

Blink.

* * *

-X-

 _Falling._

 _The monstrous head had gone. The hands, disappeared into the black oblivion._

 _Light._

 _Approaching. Falling toward it._

 _As the light filled his vision, his descent seemed to slow, the wind eased up._

 _A golden flowerbed._

 _He was laid on his side, upon the soft, cool petals. Almost lovingly, as a mother would tuck in her child._

 _Move._

 _No matter how much he tried, he could hardly move a muscle. He couldn't even properly clench his fists, never mind get up._

 _He tried opening his mouth, glued as it was with the blood._

 _But nobody came._

 _Managing to wrench his cracked lips apart, he attempted to call for his friend._

 _But nobody came._

 _A dry, hollow whisper filtered out. His throat raw, burning._

 _But nobody came._

 _He pushed with all his strength._

 _But nobody came._

 _He couldn't do it. And yet…_

 _Something made him push again, as if he was being guided. Gripping on the slippery petals for leverage._

 _Managing to roll onto his back, the boy gazed with bleary eyes up at the starless night._

 _Golden petals, raining down around him._

Blink.

-X-

 _It was serene, peaceful._

 _Too content, laying there, watching the glimmering speckles fall out of nothing._

 _Not even caring as the light seemed to fade, the colour washing out. He was distant enough as it was._

 _His only thoughts were of the tall brother, and his best friend, screaming his name._

 _A voice._

 _A boy's voice._

" _Don't worry! Dad's coming! You're gonna be alright!"_

 _A high, falsetto voice, wracked with panic. Who was it?_

"… _Asriel? Where is she? Ah… Oh no…"_

 _This time a deep, sonorous voice. Powerful, lilted with worry._

 _She?_

 _Asriel?_

 _The boy desperately tried to push his head up, to see where the voices were coming from… but will alone was not enough to move his unresponsive limbs._

 _Not that he needed to._

 _A small figure rushed into sight, and his eyes followed them hungrily, craving the change from the endless waterfall of petals._

 _They wore a green and yellow striped sweater with black pants. The boy thought they looked rather like his best friend._

 _Instead of skin there was a coat of white fur, small fangs creeping out of a small, draconic face. They looked like his hopeful-surrogate mother, whom he had left in that tunnel. Tears poured from umber eyes._

 _Asriel._

 _How was he here? Wasn't he a flower? The realisation gave the boy new strength. He wanted to ask so many questions. About him. About her._

 _About their plan._

 _Why did he hurt so much?_

 _He managed to lift a shaky hand, tremoring with the weakness. The sheer exertion._

 _Just as the hand came into view, the boy stumbled forward, kneeling by his side. The monster grasped the human's hand shakily._

"… _Not like this… Never like this! Why?!" The little monster's voice quavered with raw sorrow._

 _And guilty comprehension._

 _He didn't understand! What was going on?_

 _The boy wanted to speak, to ask what was happening- but his lips were adhered, his throat caked in…_

 _The_ other _person came into view then, the ground rumbling low with their footsteps._

 _Long, sharp horns. A gigantic, imposing figure, draconic like the boy. Silken, purple robes. Black armour. Golden crown atop their blonde, shaggily-bearded visage._

 _He instantly remembered what the girl had said. What he had looked like._

 _The king of monsters, weeping._

 _Asgore._

 _The king moved quickly over to his other side. Never taking his eyes off his._

 _Slowly, the huge being reached down. The boy could feel huge, gentle fingers underneath, him, lifting him up._

 _Feeling his hand leave Asriel's, he looked into the king's ice-blue eyes, wondering why he looked so distraught. Was he sad… for him? Has he seen him before? Was it really that bad?_

" _Asriel! Go back home and tell your mother what's happened! I'll be right behind you!" The king barked sternly. Somehow, the tone sounded unnatural coming from his mouth._

 _He felt the hands holding him shift, the backdrop of darkness and petals above them move across rapidly. Footsteps and sobbing, fading into the distance._

 _Not once did the king's eyes leave him._

 _Burbling. Escaping out his mouth. He hadn't even thought to speak._

" _*D-Daddy…"_

 _The voice that left his mouth… it was_ hers _, not his._

" _Shh… It's going to be okay! You're going to be alright!_ Chara _… Please… Stay determined!"_

 _He felt his hand shakily reach up to the king's face. Green sweater, covered in blood._

 _Her tears traced burning trails down her face, compounded with his blossoming realisation._

Blink.

* * *

-X-

 _He felt numb._

 _Numbness beyond the agony, the maddening nausea, the weakening flutter behind_ her _ribcage._

 _This is how it happened._

 _Death._

 _He couldn't bear to watch, but…_

 _She wouldn't close her eyes._

" _*Hey…Asriel… stop that…"_

 _She was laid upon a bed, in a room that looked so familiar…_

 _Everything was draped in a ghostly, grey pallor. The only colour seemed to be in the monster's watery eyes before her… and the torn bag on the bed, full of bloody spittle and half-chewed golden petals._

" _But Chara! …I…I don't like this plan anymore! I… I don't-!"_

 _Coughing. He felt her body heave in an attempt to expel the clots, the burning poison._

" _*…Don't you trust me?" She voiced, hoarse. Quiet._

 _The prince looked trapped. Guilty. Morose._

" _I… No. I promised… I'd never doubt you… Just…" He gritted his sharp teeth, grimacing._

 _A chuckle, which nearly devolved into another coughing fit._

" _*Don't think about me… C'mon brother!"_

 _A heartbeat._

" _*You should be smiling!"_

 _A heartbeat… he felt_ it _leave her… leave him._

 _A vain struggle to breathe._

" _*…You, mom, dad…"_

 _The pendant around her neck felt heavy. Sinking deeper and deeper into her chest. He felt panic, strange and vicarious, though she remained steadfast._

" _*You're going to be free."_

 _Sniffling. Echoing. Blackness encroaching in._

 _Racking coughs and indeterminable voices followed him as the scene pulled away._

 _Falling. Sinking. The ground swallowing him whole._

 _Red light._

 _A heartbeat._

Blink.

* * *

-X-

 _He screamed._

 _The boy hadn't wanted to see that._

 _It felt so_ real.

 _Why did she do it?_

 _Was it part of her and Asriel's plan?_

 _At least he seemed to be himself again… Not that it mattered in this featureless abyss. Black._

" _Chara! Where are you! Why…?"_

 _Nausea._

 _Not out of the vicarious experience, what she poisoned herself with._

 _Why would she so willing to do that to herself?_

 _Take herself away from her family? Take away all she held dear, what they held dear…_

 _Were they doing that even now?_

 _No._

 _But why was he here?_

 _His head throbbed, sharp pain from his left temple. Thinking too much, how long had it been?_

 _Reaching up, noticing his sweater was now purple as normal… Not the green of Chara's._

 _Or covered in her blood._

 _Shoving aside his shock, he pressed his palm to where he felt the pain._

 _Nothing was there._

" _Chara! Papyrus! Where are you?!"_

 _But nobody came._

 _His voice echoed around the abyss, like before. Mocking him._

 _The boy did the only thing his heart had reduced to. The pain, physical and mental._

 _He curled onto the invisible floor and wept._

 _Wept for the hurt. Wept for Papyrus._

 _But most of all, he wept for Chara._

Blink.

* * *

-X-

 _He had wanted to know how. Why._

 _The circumstances of her death._

 _Now he didn't._

 _How could she have done that to herself? No plan was worth her dying!_

 _Why…?_

…

 _Perhaps…_

" _No…"_

 _She thought her life was worth less than some stupid plan._

" _No!"_

 _The plan was worth more than seeing her family, the monsters, Asriel…_

" _No…No! Stop!"_

 _Her life was worth less than all the love in the world, seeing the monsters happy, watching the sun again…_

" _Please… Why Chara…"_

 _Worth less than being by his side, being his best friend, calling his name..._

" _*Frisk…"_

 _The boy had been so enthralled, tightly curled, hands over his ears, struggling so hard with his thoughts… He thought he'd started hearing things._

" _*Frisk… Please…"_

 _Crazy? It wasn't in his head. Or at least, he thought it wasn't. It was hard when he could only see himself, and nothing else._

 _But wait._

 _Light._

 _Red light._

 _There it was once again. The red star from earlier, shining, luring him in like fish-bait._

 _Irresistible._

 _Still laid on the ground, he stared through his tears, stared so hard at it, hoping it might paralyse it. That it wouldn't fly away or dissipate._

 _He almost instinctively started patting at his chest, feeling it._

 _They weren't gone, there was no hollow feeling._

 _After all, the memories were still vivid, fresh in his mind. They still hurt._

" _*Frisk… Please wake up…"_

 _The voice of the girl seemed to echo around. It was as if it came from a faraway place, yet at the same time was whispered into his ear. Ethereal._ Real _._

 _Energised, he arose, walking toward the light quickly, wiping away the tears. He neither took his eyes off the light, nor paid any mind to the increasingly sharp pain from his forehead as he moved._

" _let's see if this works…"_

 _Faltering slightly, the boy continued on toward the light._

 _Was that…?_

" _*No, that won't work! That'll just-!"_

" _sure it will!"_

" _*Your_ 'ideas' _haven't worked so far, how do you expect_ that _to work? It'll just make a mess, and you might-!"_

" _*ah… because whispering sweet nothings in his ear is doing so much better! 'ooh, frisk, please wake up! ooh frisk, i so very want to see you! ooh frisk i-!'"_

 _A loud thud, followed by a coughing- wheezing noise. Despite everything, his face reflexively fell._

 _What were they both doing?_

 _As he reached out to the star hovering before him, he hoped he'd know any moment._

 _Touching it, the light shone brighter, warmth flowed through his fingers, through his arms…_

 _The blackness became white, and-_

* * *

-X-

It was as if he had barely slept- the sandman deep in his eyes, immeasurable lethargy in his limbs. Above all, his head _hurt_. Frisk couldn't remember at any point in his life experiencing pain this acute.

Managing to wrench his eyes open, he was immediately dazzled by the light, despite it being quite dim- wherever he was. Groaning reflexively, Frisk tried to reach up to his eyes, to rub out the sleep and the brightness. Nearby, he could hear a gasp.

As he struggled, his hands buried under multiple layers of rough fabric, Frisk felt himself bowled over, his torso constricted tightly. From the familiar feeling of the arms and the body pressed against him, he instantly eased… though the questions and pain in the back of his mind hurried forth.

"*Frisk! I'm… so glad…" Feeling Chara squeeze tighter, unable to finish what she was saying, he returned the embrace with equal fervour.

He couldn't speak. Nothing he could say would accurately portray how _glad_ he was to see her here, after all he had seen. Healthy, strong, alive…

Not alive. She had made sure of that.

Frisk resisted the urge to vomit, the memory of the poisonous petals still vivid in his mind. The queasy feeling tingled throughout his body, down to his fingertips. That _can't_ have been a dream… Could it?

Biting his lip, he opened his eyes. So many questions he wanted to ask her- they couldn't wait any longer, he needed to know. He wanted _her_ to know.

That it wasn't worth it.

' _But if she hadn't… you never would have met her…'_ Nagged an errant thought in his mind. It was undoubtedly very selfish of him, and he abhorred the placation to him it brought.

All his thoughts were shaken as he finally realised what he was seeing.

He blinked. Sans blinked back, ridiculously.

The short skeleton was holding an upturned bottle of what appeared to be tomato ketchup, one skeletal finger over the nozzle, the other hand holding onto what presumably was its lid. He was staring at the two children before him with an expression between disappointment and relief.

It was at this that Frisk finally noticed they were somewhere he did not recognise. "Where are we?" He asked quietly.

The skeleton just grinned, twisting the lid back onto its bottle. "my shed. papyrus brought you here, after the lights went out for ya." Sans elaborated nonchalantly, shoving the secured ketchup into his trench-coat pocket.

Frisk stared for a minute at Sans' new attire, feeling slightly guilty that he was still 'borrowing' his blue jacket. Chara meanwhile pulled back from him, putting her warm hands on his clammy ones.

"*Sans sent Papyrus off, so… _we've_ been watching over you, snoring up a storm!" She joked. Frisk turned his head to stare at her. It had been half-hearted, and her expression, despite smiling, was tight.

Another, different question bubbled up within him before he could begin his _other_ queries. Frisk remembered the end of his dream… he could hear them talking to one another. Sans was even looking at Chara now, his eyebrow-ridges slightly furrowed, though not in anger.

"You two can…?" Frisk let his question hang- his surprise almost surpassed the previous feelings.

Even though he was half-expecting it, it still shocked him when Chara's smile changed to an exasperated grimace, and Sans' grin widened, his eyes stretching in humour.

"i left you hanging didn't i? still, it meant i would get to see your face right now… heh, it tickles my funny-bone." At this statement, Chara just groaned, at which Sans seemed to become even more pleased. Frisk just looked between them nonplussed, unsure what his partner was groaning at, and wondering just how Sans could see Chara.

The girl spoke before he could, despairing. "*Frisk, this has just been _non-stop_. After I… had a nap… He came up and just kept telling awful puns and threatening to soak you in ketchup!" Chara only stopped her near-wailing when she saw the boy wince, his head throbbing with her loud voice.

Sans huffed, his shoulders hunching upward. "not my fault he's such a lazy bones. besides, it was boring in here. and someone had to distract you from all your depressing-talk. he's awake now anyway…"

Frisk just shook his head vigorously, flinching again as his wound responded painfully. They were here because of his mistake. He'd become too cocky, too eager. What would happen now? Could they still…?

"Chara. Sans. …I'm sorry… Sorry for messing up, sorry for wasting your time…" Frisk's penitent speech was cut off as Chara threw her arms around him once again, almost angrily. Sans just snorted.

"*You didn't mess up Frisk, Papyrus did! He just needs a little extra shove to show how much better being friends is!" Chara spoke resolutely. It was only now, after being with Frisk, how wholeheartedly she had started to believe in those words. She pulled away after she had finished speaking, smiling lopsidedly.

Frisk, who was feeling rather negative at that point, smiled back, his auburn eyes glistening. Sans chuckled this time, and both children turned to look at him.

Sans winked at them, his arms outstretched. He had started backing toward the door slowly. "pssh. watching you means less time spent at the sentry-point, which is okay in my book. besides, having someone else to regale with my hilarious jokes is _great_."

Frisk frowned at him, his lip quivering. "A-aren't you supposed to be there though? It's your job, I don't want you to get in trouble…" The boy asked, his voice petering out toward the end.

The skeleton waved a hand at him dismissively, reaching the door. "nah. my job is to watch for humans… which i have been doing. if that means not being at my station, well i guess that's your fault." At Frisk's dismay and Chara's scowl, Sans laughed.

"just kiddin'! honestly, you both need to lighten up. and… don't worry about papyrus. keep doing what you're doing, i'm rooting for ya both" After his joking comment, the skeleton winked atrociously, then turned for the door, gripping the handle.

Chara tensed, and Frisk did too, though for a different reason. "*You're not going to…?!" The girl asked quickly, leaving her question unfinished. The boy's nervousness changed to confusion, whilst Sans turned his head back to them, his grin more of a smile.

"nope. i'm just going to grillby's. either of you want anything?" Sans offered, his expression now becoming eerie. Chara just shook her head quickly, putting her hand on Frisk's to belay any request.

"*You already got Frisk something, and the burger you got me you'd _kindly_ covered in mustard. Thanks, but no thanks." Chara snapped, and Frisk just smiled at them both, shaking his head at Sans.

The short skeleton just shrugged, and turned back to the door, opening it and letting the cold breeze in. Both children shivered, and instinctively moved closer to one another. Sans glanced at them, smirking at their reactions.

"suit yourselves. besides… it looks like you two have a lot to talk about. see ya later." The skeleton remarked vaguely, giving Chara a hard look before exiting out of the room and shutting the door.

* * *

-X-

The tension in the air could be cut through with a knife.

Chara had asked Sans desperately about the memory that had returned to her. Asking if she was responsible for the plan's failure. He knew about it all.

Both she and Frisk had come so far in such a short time, and she already believed in the boy. But why hadn't the plan worked the first time? What had they done wrong? She didn't even remember what she and Asriel had set out to do, other than somehow break the barrier…

Sans had told Chara that he couldn't tell her. But, he had gently reminded that she needed to tell Frisk what she had done. Why she was this way… Before he quickly and stubbornly changed the subject to his expansive array of jokes.

She gulped. How do you even start that kind of conversation with your closest friend? _'*Well Frisk, I tried to kill myself-_ twice _I might add, and it doesn't seem to have gotten me or Asriel anywhere, except I'm now dead, and Asriel is a flower. Says a lot for_ our _chances, doesn't it?'_

As Chara pondered this, looking to one side, Frisk gazed at her, ignoring the building pain in his temples. His hands trembled as he reached and took hers gently, pulling her toward him. Already the tears were falling, and yet he didn't care. All at once the emotion from before came back to him.

Chara snapped out of her daze to look at him. Upon seeing his face, her clouded expression fell, her mouth open. She wanted to ask him what was wrong- his welfare mattering to her more than the past did.

And then he told her, and she wanted nothing more than for the earth to swallow her.

"Why… Why did you do it? Nothing… not even the plan is worth you dying! Please…" Frisk pleaded to her, squeezing her hands and shaking them, as if it would bring him the answer. So strongly he felt about it, he stared at her utterly shocked face through the tears, not letting them distract him.

Chara was speechless. How did he know?! Nobody had even told him- he just woke up!

Moreover, why did it upset him so much? …Was he upset that their plan had involved this? That it failed?

"*H-how do you know?" She managed, watching as he seemed to become more upset.

"I…I saw it… In the dream. You were… eating flowers. Even though your dad carried you back home, you made Asriel… You still kept poisoning yourself! Why?" Frisk managed, still clenching her hands.

A building feeling of ice sliding into her stomach developed as he spoke. It didn't matter _how_ he knew now- how could she explain? He was even more overtly upset by it than she was, and it hadn't even happened to him!

"*I… I think it was for the plan. Seven souls remember? The barrier? I don't remember how it went… But… Why does it matter Frisk? I died so the monsters could be freed. Big deal." Frisk flinched at her crassness, his expression becoming angry. Chara just felt herself become even more lost at his look.

"It matters to _me!_ It mattered to Asriel, it mattered to your parents… It mattered to _all_ the monsters I'm sure! No plan, not even to break the barrier, matters more than your life! And you threw it away!" He spoke with more emotion than he had ever felt before, so strongly he felt.

Watching through his best friend's eyes as she harmed herself… What he felt about her, what he felt about life in general. Nothing was worth the pain, the loss. That gap in the lives of the people left behind. There's always someone who cares.

And nobody cared more for Chara right now than Frisk did.

She was still silent when he spoke again. "If you left me now because of some stupid plan… I…" Frisk gulped, collecting himself. He didn't think it needed to be said what would happen- he'd be left alone, his best friend lost. No more plans, no more saving. He couldn't do it without her. Looking outside, he was certain life had only become worse for the monsters- because she was so certain ending it all for a plan was the only answer.

She still didn't answer. Wiping at his eyes furiously with one hand, the other still clenched over hers, he spoke again resolutely. "No! This time, _nobody_ is gonna die! We're going to find a different way!"

Chara smiled at him. Genuinely, soft, her brown eyes glistening. She was certain he could. _They_ could. Why did her life matter so much to him? Why did he think it mattered to everyone, if her sacrifice meant that they might be saved? She couldn't _quite_ fathom it yet, having never placed much value on her life before.

But the way he _spoke_ … "*I'm sure we can, partner. Hey, besides, if I hadn't died, I wouldn't be here now to be your friend. _Someone_ has to hold your hand!" Chara teased.

Clearly, Frisk thought the joke had been in bad-taste, for he glared at her with the most _furious_ expression she had ever seen him with. "Don't even _joke_ about that Chara! If you hadn't died, then you would have lived a happy life, not saddled with _me!_ I'm… _We're_ gonna find a way to save _you_ too, even if it means never leaving!"

So strongly he said it, vowed it. Never had the frail, anxious boy been so _certain_ about something. It was a promise.

She was beginning to understand. Her lips quivered, and she closed her eyes.

A tear. Then another.

Soon, she was bawling, sobbing to her heart's content over his shoulder. Centuries of hurt, of set self-belief of one's lack of worth, yawning from the past.

As they held each other, Frisk, the little boy from the surface she so hated, had truly begun to mend her.

* * *

-S-

Sans trudged back from Grillby's with an ever so slight skip in his step.

Despite his promise, he had in fact gone to see his brother. Papyrus had been in his room, staring at the ceiling as he laid on his bed. Sans had ignored the childish little sign left on his brother's door, and entered.

"SANS! CAN'T YOU READ? I'M HAVING A LITTLE 'ALONE TIME' HERE!" Papyrus squawked as his brother appeared, standing over him and grinning. Sans looked slightly disgusted at his words.

"okay… that's weird bro… i'm… just gonna…" The shorter brother stammered as he backed away from the bed, toward the door. Papyrus simple leaned upward and stared at him, one eyebrow-ridge raised slightly.

"WHAT IS 'WEIRD'? I AM MERELY THINKING. THINKING ABOUT MY DETAINEE! HAS HE AWOKEN YET?" Papyrus questioned, his expression becoming oddly serious, frowning at his brother.

Sans just sighed, shaking his head. "nothing bro. nah, he hasn't awoken yet." He lied, easily. Rather guiltily, he knew that despite his bluster, Papyrus trusted him wholly and unconditionally. This only made it harder to continually exploit that trust, even if it meant sheltering him a bit longer from society's _nastier_ concepts.

Papyrus leaned back down onto his bed, returning to his ceiling-gazing. "THEN WHY ARE YOU HERE? I THOUGHT YOU PROMISED TO WATCH OVER HIM?" He asked dubiously. Sans shrugged, grinning.

"just checking up on ya. you're clearly too tired for sentry duty right now… oh what would undyne say if she caught _you_ slacking? i guess she'd say you… didn't have the **guts** for it."

Sans suppressed his giggle as Papyrus arose, the tall skeleton's eyes popping out as they usually did when he felt strongly about something- usually his puns. He swore he could see steam blow out of his hollow-nose, his brother looming over him.

Before he said anything however, Papyrus seemed to deflate, his gloved hands hanging listlessly at his side. "BUT… I WANT TO WAIT FOR FRISK TO WAKE UP… SO I CAN… ASK ABOUT SOME THINGS. PURELY AS A JAILOR WOULD OF COURSE!"

Sans winked at him, wincing internally as he prepared yet another lie. "hey, i promised i'd come and get you when he wakes up, so why don't you go back to your patrol near waterfall? that way, you're not disappointing undyne, and you'll still know when frisk awakens. how about it?" He spoke, placating.

Papyrus brought a hand to his chin, resorting to his dramatic 'thinking pose'. Soon however, he nodded and saluted. "THAT IS A SOUND PLAN, BROTHER! …AS LONG AS YOU _PROMISE_!" He peered at Sans, squinting at him as if it would unveil any dishonesty.

The short brother merely nodded. "i promise." He said seriously, almost disappointed at how easy it was. Papyrus saluted again, and marched out of his room, down the stairs and out of the house. Sans followed a few seconds later, peeking around the front door to ensure his brother wouldn't check inside the shed as he passed it.

Surprisingly, Papyrus seemed to keep as much distance between him and the shed as possible, walking almost through the trees before returning to the path outside of Snowdin. Sans' gaze softened- the boy really had made an impression on him, hadn't he? He was certain Papyrus had already made the _right_ decision.

He just needed to be confronted with it.

But not now. Sans had gone to Grillby's bar, chatted-up the patrons as he normally did, and drank all the ketchup he could snatch from the tables. He was certain the bartender, Grillby himself, knew of his antics by now, but despite this he still let it happen regardless. It was an odd feeling for the skeleton, everyone being happy to see him there.

After he had finished, he had begun returning to the shed like he was supposed to, elated with how things were going.

* * *

-S-

He knew they had to have talked about it, he doubted Chara would have broken her promise.

It hadn't taken much persuasion- the girl evidently thought it was a good idea that the boy know. Thankfully, her disposition hadn't changed, though it had worried Sans how little she had seemed to regard her own life, concerned only with Frisk's.

As he opened the door, he hoped that the boy might have shaken that out of her.

Chara leaned upward from the bundle of blankets. One arm was wrapped around a sleeping Frisk, who didn't seem to react to Sans' entrance. At the skeleton's approach, she lifted one finger to her lips, and he nodded.

Sans studied the two. He could just about see Frisk's face, the rest of his body underneath the blankets, his hair and the scarf-bandage splayed out around his head. Chara was staring back at him, wearing a hard expression. There were the tell-tale streaks of tears on her rosy cheeks, and her auburn hair was messy from where she had laid on it.

"so?" Sans merely asked, frowning- he knew his point would get across to her. Chara's expression softened, her bottom lip trembling.

"*He… He already _knew_. How is that possible?" She whispered, her gaze flicking between Frisk and Sans, conscious not to wake the boy up. The skeleton's eyes widened almost comically.

' _could it be…'_ Sans mused. Her words had got him thinking. He knew what _she_ was, fundamentally. A soulless-husk. A shade. So why was she…

He peered at her, stepping closer. Chara leaned backward nervously, but did not move from the boy's side.

She flinched as his left eye glowed blue, gazing right at her. Through her.

Her eyes. Her heart.

 **His soul.**

Sans stumbled backward, breathing heavily. As Chara stared at him, dumbstruck, his mind raced. Had they really…?

She couldn't hold it in for very long. "*What's wrong?!" She whispered as loudly as she could, watching as Sans collected himself. The skeleton just shook his head, smiling exasperatedly.

After a few moments, he managed to speak. "nothing. nothing at all. maybe he already knew because he overheard us talking about it?" He lied once again. Only the latter part was a lie for once. The specifics of what he had just found out would become clear to them both, given time, and all being well.

Chara seemed to accept this, nodding, though she looked at him suspiciously. Sans merely looked back with a large grin. "*…You sure you okay?" She asked him, her tone equally as dubious.

The skeleton just chuckled soundlessly. "never better. …how _did_ he take it though?" He responded with a question of his own, schooling his expression as seriously as he could. The girl's face instantly fell.

"*I… He wasn't happy. He really… didn't like what I did, what it meant, all of it. He doesn't want anyone to die… He wants to…" Chara was looking around the room, as if searching for the right words. Sans gestured, making a rolling-motion with his hand as her pause lengthened.

"*Frisk would rather save me, even if it meant all the monsters had to stay down here longer." She finished, her eyes glistening and lips trembling once again as unidentified feelings arose within her.

Sans' smile widened, though not out of humour. "…is that so bad? is placing life over a plan, that may or may not work out how you want to, such a bad thing? clearly, frisk values you more than _you_ do. is it so hard to see why that might be?" He spoke gently and slowly, maintaining eye contact with her the whole time.

Chara wiped at her eyes, turning her gaze to the sleeping Frisk. "*I… don't know. It's all a lot to think about…" She mumbled, lost in thought. Sans just snorted, backing away.

"not so hard if you ask me. say…" The skeleton intoned, glancing down at the boy.

"how _do_ you feel about him?" He asked innocently, gesturing toward Frisk. His grin became mischievous as he watched Chara's rosy cheeks redden further.

"*I… he… He's the best friend I ever had. I think… Nobody… could even come close. For anyone." Chara stammered, glancing at the boy, feeling herself heat up. Asriel had been the brother she had wanted, but Frisk...

She wished Frisk had been there for both her and Asriel. She knew this already. But now, with what she was learning…

Maybe he was right.

Sans seemed satisfied with her answer, his gaze switching between the two of them as he backed toward the door. "don't you think… with everything you've just told me… that maybe he thinks the same about you too?"

Chara didn't respond for a few moments, looking at Frisk, thinking hard. Finally, she nodded, turning her head back up and opening her mouth.

Sans was gone.

She scoffed quietly, turning back to Frisk. For a few moments she just stared at his back, thinking. Not long after however, she laid down with her back to his, laboriously dragging a blanket over herself and settling down. There was a long night of thinking to do ahead of her.

Meanwhile, Frisk laid there on his side- eyes wide open and heart racing.

* * *

-X-

 **A/N:** Okay. So this was by far the hardest chapter to write, with all the nasty elements and emotion. I hope I got it out okay, and it wasn't too tacky! Some scenes better than others… But this had by far the most effort put into it. …Probably a dumb question, but I'm trusting you here… With the scenes in this chapter, should I raise this story to 'T' rating?

Anyway, a big thanks to: Pure con Arroz (twice), AnyOtherTime, Me3e3e, TheEmeraldQueen (make a profile dammit), jack hopper, allen Vth, no-one, Arashi IV of VI, Guest, Rabbherself, Akayuki Novak, RustyBuckets and imnotraven16 for their lovely comments! Furthermore, I'd like to thank PhoenixCaptain, RoxyConan-Kun, Akayuki Novak, AnyOtherTime and Me3e3e for their awesome discussions with me! Lastly, thank you to all those who favorited and followed, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Yeah… my updates are gonna slow down a bit whilst I try to get on-top of my work. Nevertheless, they will still come, and you know it! See you next time!


	21. Resolution

Chapter Twenty-one – Resolution

-X-

Frisk woke up to the sound of barely-restrained laughter.

His head felt much better, though there was still a dull, deep ache throbbing behind his temples. It may have been uncomfortable, but it was preferable to the sharp pain of before.

Aside from that, one of his arms seemed be trapped fast- underneath him? The rest of his body too; how much had he tossed-and-turned in the night, that he would feel this constricted? At least it was warm, heated air passing over his face. He didn't want to wake up.

The muffled giggling was insistent though, and it was with much effort that he brought his free arm up to his face, intending on rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

His hand brushed through hair and over warm, smooth skin. Yet, he hadn't felt it on himself. Frisk's rapidly growing surprise forced his eyes open wide, despite having been previously gummed shut with sleep.

Despite himself, the boy couldn't suppress the slight gasp. Nor could he slow down his short breaths; his flushing, hot skin.

Mere centimetres away from his own auburn eyes were Chara's closed ones, deep in sleep. So deep in fact, that she was lightly snoring, her strangely-odourless breath warming his already hot face. She had him in a tight embrace, and as entangled as they were in the blankets…

' _How tired_ is _she?!_ ' Frisk thought with disbelief. Chara was either an extremely deep sleeper, or so tired as to be completely ignorant of the increasingly loud mirth elsewhere in the room. The girl had thus far always arisen with him, despite her apparent lack of enthusiasm for waking up…

He struggled with his unconscious captor, attempting to writhe out _slowly_ , so that at least one of them would be spared the embarrassment. He managed to prise one of his arms free, reaching around in an attempt to free himself, never taking his eyes of Chara.

Alas, it was not to be.

" _wakey-wakey!"_ Intoned a loud, familiar voice, right above them. Frisk could only watch in dismay as Chara's eyelids tightened, her hands and arms gripping him tighter as she yawned. He felt faint, his heart racing as she rolled her head back into the blanket, whining.

"*Can't we wake up later… Frisk… Let's…" The rest of Chara's mumblings were muffled as she pressed her face into the sheets, still not letting go of him. She was half-awake at best. Frisk didn't dare move a muscle, in vain hope she would go back to sleep, and not notice their _predicament_.

Once again, a rather merciless skeleton dashed that fleeting wish. Frisk shook his head vigorously, hardly believing his eyes as the bell of a shiny _trombone_ crept into his view, stopping just behind Chara's head. He silently attempted to plead with Sans, miming with his mouth, fear in his eyes.

The skeleton shook his head gravely, regarding Frisk with a smug grin before taking a deep breath. He brought the nozzle to his lipless mouth, and blew.

* * *

-X-

That day, the proprietor of the Snowed-Inn had been merely passing by the skeleton's shed for her daily ritual- a refreshing walk between Snowdin and the Waterfall cave. Not once in all her years had she ever heard so much as a sound from the relatively plain building, which had faded into the background of her memory as the childish nosiness waned.

Except for today.

A long, loud, brassy sound rang out of the building, which was followed by a sudden, sharp increase in volume and pitch, before silencing. Her eyebrows cocked and curiosity piqued, Clover approached and looked through the nearest window.

What she saw was Sans the skeleton, sprawled on his back, dazed. A large trombone was sat just behind him… with what looked like whole blankets shoved deep into its nozzle, the pipe bent slightly.

Puzzled, Clover moved around to see who else there was in the room. All she saw was Frisk- the child who had booked a room earlier! He seemed to be hyperventilating- she could see how red he was from here! Poor boy, whatever was the matter?

To her sudden shock, she finally saw what appeared to be a shaking, _floating_ pile of blankets between the two observable occupants. Her eyes widened and jaw dropped as the fabric seemed to _launch_ itself toward Sans, burying him.

Quickly walking away and giggling to herself madly, Clover resumed her walk, her expression a bright but manic smile. First the disembodied laughter, and now this!

"Haha! It's nothing! I just need a break is all! You didn't see anything, you _definitely_ didn't hear anything! Not at all! Haha!"

She was still babbling to herself when she returned to the hotel. Her son decided in her place to close for the day.

* * *

-O-

Chara hadn't stopped scowling since she had exacted her swift vengeance on the prankster skeleton. How she had managed to knock him over, she did not know or care. Just that his smug grin… and that _dreadful_ noise was stopped!

To her chagrin, Sans had quickly recovered from his daze, and was stood before her, smiling cheekily as ever at them. Chara thought that the damage to his trombone must not have registered- though when she looked back at where it had landed on the floor, it was gone. This only irked her mood further.

"*Did you _have_ to wake us up like that? What time is it?" She snapped, tetchily. Sans was unfazed by her attitude; if anything, he seemed to be _pleased_ by her reaction. Frisk coughed from where he sat, still somewhat entangled in the blankets. The girl briefly wondered how he had managed to get like that, before he spoke.

"I-I think it's morning Chara…" He stammered, pointing out of the window. Chara did not look where he directed, instead staring at him, perplexed at his behaviour. Frisk was breathing as if he'd run a marathon, his cheeks as rosy as hers were. The boy also seemed to be avoiding looking at her, his eyes darting everywhere but in her direction.

Chara bit her lip slightly, a sinking feeling welling up within her. He was still disappointed, wasn't he? She shook her head. Why did he care about it so much? What could she even do? It was very difficult for her to understand his position on it all, and yet…

Attempting to avert the course of her thoughts, she continued the topic at hand, dubious as to how he knew what time it was. "*And how do you know that?" Chara asked him. The boy finally looked her in the eye, before quickly averting his gaze once again. His flushed face seemed to brighten even further as he stuttered a response.

"U-um, erm… The light from outside seems brighter than it was… and I can hear people now!" Frisk accentuated his reasoning with a firm nod. Finally turning to the window herself, she could see that he was correct- just like the day before when they exited the inn, it was brighter, though still dull and night-like.

"*Okay… But that still doesn't explain why you had to wake us up like that!" Chara exclaimed, whirling round and pointing accusingly at Sans, who rose one eyebrow-ridge at her.

Sans shrugged exaggeratedly, his skeletal hand out of his trench-coat pockets. "why is it such a big deal? i had to wake you up somehow… and you _were_ smothering fr-" He was interrupted, to Chara's surprise, by none other than Frisk.

" _Where_ can we get some breakfast Sans?" The boy almost shouted, drowning out the skeleton's speech before he could finish. Frisk had managed to get up, and seemed to wilt under Chara's surprised staring. She hadn't expected _him_ to do something like that!

As if in agreement with his words, a loud growling noise sounded in the boy's direction- his stomach was rumbling! Frisk pouted as both Chara and Sans grinned at him, the latter approaching him, reaching toward his head.

He flinched, but nonetheless allowed the short skeleton to grasp the red scarf acting as a makeshift bandage, untying it gently. "well, that was the other reason i woke you up early. i was gonna offer to take you both to grillby's, but…"

"I-I'm sorry Sans! I didn't mean to be so..." Frisk's apology was cut-off by the skeleton's snort, unwrapping the last of the bandage.

"i was just joshing ya, kid. it'd be great to have the company at this time. especially when you'll be paying for it." At Frisk's pained expression, watching him pat unobtrusively at his pockets, Sans backed away, assessing the boy's wounded temple, chuckling.

"…that was a joke too, frisk. i'll just put it on my tab as usual anyway." The short skeleton explained, at which the boy relaxed in relief. Chara approached shortly after, standing next to Sans and peering at the side of Frisk's head intensely.

"*Is he going to be alright?" She asked in concern, her mood starting to lift with the prospect of food. Sans just turned to her, smiling.

"it's nothing bad now, just a nasty bruise. as long as you don't go headbutting anything, give it a few days and it'll be completely gone, if not sooner. good thing you've got all that hair, eh kid?" Sans said lightly, after which the children shared a smile between themselves.

"Thank you, Doctor Sans!" Frisk chirped softly, which seemed to surprise Sans initially, before he recovered, winking at him. The skeleton wrapped up the slightly bloody scarf-bandage, putting it into of his pockets.

Chara watched Sans with mild interest. First his reaction, and upon some subtle closer inspection, noticing that his dirty trench-coat was awfully thin. She thought it looked more like a lab-coat.

Keeping her observations to herself, she also thanked him. "*Thank you for helping Frisk, Doctor…?" Chara waved her hands in a rolling motion, anticipating Sans offering his surname. But he just nodded at her, seemingly ignoring her unspoken question, leaving her wondering.

"don't mention it. now, are we going? if i were you i'd be ravenous by now… if i had the stomach for it." Frisk giggled lightly at his poor joke, following Sans as he walked toward the door. The boy looked back to Chara, beckoning. As he gazed at her, he seemed to redden once again, and he quickly turned back around, his posture almost rigid.

Chara watched this with a weak smile, before following behind Frisk. As they walked out into the crisp, cool air of Snowdin, she was deep in thought once again.

Never, in the memories she had available to her, had she wept quite as hard as she did the day before. Never had she actually cried _on_ someone like that, though she had nearly done so when Asriel first found her...

So long ago it was. The alien emotion she felt back then was nothing compared to what it was like now. Chara thought she might never understand it- what Frisk's words meant, and why it had elicited such a strange reaction from her.

Perhaps, deep down she did comprehend. She shook her head, looking quickly at the boy and Sans to make sure they hadn't seen her almost involuntary gesture. She was so muddled- what did it mean? Why did he place such a value in her, when it seemed obvious that her life was worth sacrificing?

Why did her thoughts seem so wrong, and his words make her so happy?

Chara knew one thing however- she would get to the bottom of it, and ask Frisk about it later. If that would make him happy, then she knew she would be satisfied.

* * *

-X-

Frisk was watching Sans with fascination. As the trio walked through town toward their destination, _every_ monster they passed by seemed to either nod, greet or _sneer_ at the skeleton, before nodding at the boy as well.

Sans seemed to take this all in good stride, reciprocating the friendlier residents, and winking atrociously at the unfriendly ones, which only seemed to irritate them.

Of course, nobody greeted or even noticed Chara in any way. Frisk glanced at her to see that she was frowning, staring into space as she walked by his side. She was thinking deeply about something; the boy hoped, albeit sadly, that it was about what they had talked about yesterday.

It appalled Frisk that she could even think so little of her worth, let alone even joke about it like it was a non-issue. Sure, he had never been happier to have her by his side, but nothing was worth her sacrifice. Not even to save the world, as selfish as he felt that might sound. That was how certain he was.

As he regarded his oblivious partner with a sad smile, he just hoped her opinion would change eventually. With his support- she could count on him, whether she like it or not!

The longer he looked at her though, he felt something… and started to be reminded of the events surrounding their wake-up call just minutes ago. He returned his reddening visage back toward his front, gulping. Either she had not noticed, or she did not care so much- he guessed that could be attributed to the sheer ire Chara had exhibited, waking to find Sans blowing a trombone right in her ear…

The whole experience had left the boy oddly exhilarated, a thought which he pondered thoughtfully as they approached their destination, without him noticing.

"yo kid, snap out of it. we're here." Sans intoned, clicking his bony fingers directly in front of the boy's face, causing his wandering eyes to squint. Frisk moved backward to survey the bar, reaching for Chara's hand to his side, gulping.

The girl smiled as she saw and reciprocated his gesture, taking his hand and squeezing. Perhaps he wasn't so angry with her after all… But at his weak clench, she was reminded of his words. Anger was never Frisk's point.

* * *

-X-

The outside of Grillby's bar was of striking contrast to most other buildings in Snowdin. It was constructed of red-brick, a bright neon-orange sign flashing above the entrance, which Chara had quickly read out for the boy as merely saying '*Grillby's'. It had an aroma of wood-smoke about it, and the light shining out of the large windows was dull-yellow.

Frisk was immediately reluctant to enter, shrinking away from it and huddling closer to Chara instinctively. He had poor memories associated with bars and restaurants above the surface, and was now nearly regretting accepting Sans' offer.

Seeing said skeleton stood in the entrance waiting, facing him with expression between concern and impatience, he steeled himself as best he could and approached the door rigidly. As he crossed the threshold and into the warmth of the building, Chara slowly renewed her hand-squeezing, which somewhat relaxed his tenseness about it all. At least he had her and Sans; what possible harm could come to him here?

The main room was filled with small, circular tables and short stools that the few patrons present were sat on. Along one wall were tall, hard-backed sofas with much larger tables, meant for dining. At the far-end however was the bar itself, arrayed with glistening bottles filled with all-kinds of alcoholic spirits.

Stood at the counter was its strange owner, who Frisk assumed was the namesake of the establishment. Despite being seemingly made of burning flames, he was wearing stereotypical bartending clothes, and was washing glasses whilst whistling a strange, musical tune.

Neither Chara or Sans seemed to be surprised by this, the latter moving eagerly forward. As he did so, he waved and greeted all the other patrons as he passed, and they all greeted him back with varying levels of enthusiasm.

The other patrons hadn't seemed to notice Frisk, who were all either mournfully focussed on their drinks, or watching Sans with varying degrees of drunkenness. One occupant, who he presumed was a rabbit-monster like Clover and Suzy, was sat at one of the larger tables, laid mostly upon the table itself, dozing.

They weren't being riotous, nor were they making much noise at all outside of the occasional murmur, and the clinking of glasses and cutlery. As Chara gently tugged on Frisk's hand, leading him to the bar with Sans, he let go of his disinclination, though the tenseness did not disappear.

All three sat at on the tall stools at the counter, and with one last worried look at Frisk, Sans called at the owner, attracting his attention from the glasses. "hey, grillby! are you still doing breakfasts?"

What passed for Grillby's head turned up from the dirty tankards, and regarded Sans, though he did a double-take at the sight of Frisk. The boy could _just_ make out what appeared to be eyes, which were framed by thin-glasses, and a mouth- both of which were identifiable, as they were a bit brighter and static among the steady flames. The proprietor's mouth seemed to move, and there was a quiet hissing noise, which to Frisk's bewilderment, Sans nodded at and responded.

"yes we would, for me and the kid here. i'm doing okay though thanks, how are you and the kids doing?" The skeleton spoke in an upbeat, friendly manner. Spotting Frisk's puzzled look, Chara clenched his hand tight to get his attention, to which he cocked his head slightly toward her.

She smiled lopsidedly at his antics. "*He just asked if we would like some, and how he was doing. I'm… guessing you can't understand what he said, right?" In response, Frisk glanced toward her and nodded, one eyebrow raised pointedly.

Chara rose an eyebrow back. "*I learnt it I guess, there were a lot more fire-monsters than just this guy back when I was… was last here." At her words, Frisk's eyes twitched, and she bit her lip, the queasy feeling beginning to return.

Thankfully, Sans butted in- they had missed the rest of what Grillby had said. "what would you like _kid_? there's a menu here." The skeleton asked, unaware of the children's half-conversation. He had stressed the word 'kid', whilst pointedly looking at Chara, indicating that he hadn't forgotten her.

How they would manage to get away with an otherwise invisible ghost eating at one of the tables escaped them, but nonetheless they both looked at the menu passed to Frisk. Unfortunately, as with all the other writing thus far, the boy had to wait for Chara to read out the items.

Noticing what she was doing, Sans piped up with a guiltily. "if it helps, i'm having a bacon and egg sandwich with fries." He said, shrugging with one hand out gesturing. Frisk thought for a moment and smiled, nodding thankfully. Chara nodded too, vigorously.

"*Does he do any drinks?" The girl asked hopefully, feeling the slight spark of shame at taking advantage of the skeleton's offer, but knew that Frisk had to be as thirsty as she was.

Sans glanced at her for a split second before looking at the boy. "he does drinks as well if you want, but it's either tea or coffee for you. he doesn't do just water, i'm sure you can guess why."

Frisk was mystified at the fact a fire-monster was running a drinks-bar at all, but nonetheless opted for tea, as did Chara. It was odd enough that the boy couldn't seem to feel any heat exuded by him- he would have thought being that close to flames would be _hot_ at the very least! But all Grillby's body seemed to do was produce a thin vapour of smoke, which dispersed throughout the building.

Sans relayed their orders, and brushed off what Chara translated to be a question about the _third_ portion, before Grillby nodded and walked back and through a door, which was aptly named 'fire-exit', next to the shelves stocked with drinks. To Frisk's horror, the monster went through the door into what appeared to be a bright, blazing inferno beyond.

As he closed the door behind him, the boy looked at Chara again with a bewildered expression. "*Well, he is made of fire, after all…" She nonchalantly said, leaning on the counter with her head on one of her hands. Frisk guffawed at this, and turned back to look at the orderly bar behind the counter, fidgeting.

"grillby is one of the few remaining veterans from the war on the surface. you wouldn't know it just by looking at him… but he's very tough. always turns down royal guard though… don't tell him i told you that." Sans uttered quietly from where he sat, still staring at the 'fire-exit'. When he turned to see Frisk and Chara staring at him, he raised a brow-ridge at them.

"*That would make him as old as Asgore, if not older! I thought only boss monsters…" Chara's surprised speech petered out, her expression perplexed. Frisk just looked even more confused at her addition- just how old did that mean?

"well he doesn't exactly _age_ the same way the rest of us do, and he's quite powerful, which counts for something i guess." Sans suggested, scratching his chin. Chara seemed to accept this answer, if a little dubiously, leaning back.

Frisk however, did not. "How long ago was the war? How old-!" Sans scrambled forward slightly to shush the boy, one skeletal hand over his mouth. His voice had been edging onto a shout- to his embarrassment, all the patrons around the room had turned with interest to him.

"ah, do you not remember your history classes frisk?!" The skeleton said loudly, still looking at boy but ensuring the others could hear him. As if on cue, they all returned to their drinks, though the atmosphere seemed to turn gloomier. Dissatisfied murmuring could be heard throughout the room, at which Frisk felt guilty for. He hadn't meant to pull this string so _brusquely_ , especially not when considering his own situation…

"keep it quiet kid, it's not a good subject. and to answer your question… nearly a thousand years ago now, i think. i may be off…" Sans whispered, leaning toward Frisk so that both children could hear. That timescale meant little to the boy- even a century would have left him reeling.

Chara on the other hand was incensed. "*A thousand years! That means…?!" A look of abject dismay passed over the girl's face, and she reeled back on her stool, nearly falling off it.

"it means you're old news." Sans said with a small grin, looking once more around the room before turning back to the bar. Once again, Frisk felt out of the loop, and decided to ask again, though a little more reservedly this time.

"…What do you both mean?" At the boy's murmur, the skeleton glanced at him, initially unsure how to answer. Chara was still too busy digesting the information, so he reluctantly decided to tell him.

"…it means your best friend is at least three hundred years older than you are, give or take. man frisk, you sure know how to pick 'em." Now it was Frisk's turn to reel back. The boy turned round to look at his partner in surprise.

As he stared, _her_ mouth opening and closing slightly with all the conflicting thoughts the revelation brought, his own shock waned. …Did it really matter? She was still his best friend, besides which…

"…But you weren't awake for all that time were you, Chara?" Frisk asked, frowning. The girl looked up at him and nodded slowly. Her expression seemed to lighten, before becoming inexplicably twisted with fear, looking past the boy to Sans.

"*Wait… if Grillby was around for the war, then that means he knows what Frisk is!" As if on cue, the flaming proprietor backed out of the fire-exit door, holding onto three large mugs of steaming tea.

Frisk paled, mouth tight as Grillby placed a mug before each of them, swiftly returning back into the burning room behind the bar. He didn't _seem_ to notice him to be a human, and the boy only hoped it would stay that way, if Sans' description from earlier held any truth.

He looked at the skeleton, who seemed rather sheepish, but otherwise didn't outwardly express any worry. The boy could only trust the skeleton to help him out if it came to it, otherwise he and Chara would have to run somehow in a suddenly hostile town…

"ehh… i wouldn't worry about it. he probably doesn't remember, and if he does, i doubt he'll care. he's fairly easy-going…" Sans said half-heartedly as he took a swig out of his mug. Wherever all the tea went when the skeleton drank, Frisk did not want to think about.

"*Frisk… I think we should move to one of the big tables once we get our food…" Chara warned quietly. The boy could only nod, eyes fixed on the fire-exit. Sans merely sighed, continuing to down his scalding hot tea.

After a couple more minutes of tense silence, Grillby edged out of the back-room once again, carrying three plates with slightly-burnt breakfast-sandwiches and fries on them. He placed two of them before Sans and Frisk, before finally placing the third between the two, unaware of his third customer.

Frisk couldn't help but gaze greedily at his food, salivating. When he finally tore his gaze away from it, remembering Chara's words, he looked up into the burning eyes of his host. Even behind glasses, they were focussed and sharp- as much as they could be, made of fire. The boy gulped as he saw Grillby's mouth move, a quiet hissing accompanying the action.

"*…And there we have it. He's saying he hasn't seen one of you in a _long_ time, Frisk. Be ready…" Chara relayed cautiously, getting up from her stool. The boy could only sit there very still, staring back, his lip trembling in fear.

Thankfully, Sans intervened. "he's with me, bud. don't worry about him, he's not gonna cause trouble. if he does… he'll have a bone to pick with me." His casual, reassuring tone and light-joke successfully defused any sort of tension created by Grillby, who straightened and spoke again, looking at the skeleton.

"nah, we're good thanks. gonna go sit at one of the tables… by the way, did i mention you're looking… smokin' today." Sans followed up with a wink, to which Grillby responded by merely turning back to the boy, seemingly ignoring him. The fiery monster hissed something again before nodding, turning round and walking back through the fire-exit, closing the door loudly. Chara scoffed as he left, whilst Frisk couldn't resist a small smirk creeping up his face.

"*That was lame." Chara intoned, deadpanning at Sans, whilst Frisk leaned over to pick both his and her plates. Sans just performed his trademark shrug, deadpanning right back at her.

"says you. i wasn't the one thinking i could get someone by sleeping on-" Before Sans could finish, Frisk coughed noisily, following-up by speaking equally as loud, causing everyone around the room to stare.

"Sans! Could you bring your plate and the tea over?" The boy spoke in a higher, squeakier pitch than normal, which caused Chara to raise a brow at him, rising even higher when she noticed how flushed he had become. Sans on the other hand was grinning smugly, but otherwise didn't respond outside of complying with the boy's request.

* * *

-X-

In short order, all three were seated at one of the large tables, Chara against the wall to obscure her and her food from the other patrons. The other patrons were largely ignoring them now, with the occasional nod directed at Sans. Thankfully, even the two off-duty dog-soldiers paid no attention to the human in their midst, focussing on their card game.

Before they tucked in, Frisk made sure to thank Sans profusely, tugging on Chara's sleeve until she too, reluctantly thanked him too. The skeleton accepted their appreciation as graciously as always- with a full-body shrug.

"eh, you're welcome i guess. besides, the longer i don't have to actually work, the better." He said nonchalantly, watching them eat for a moment before producing a large bottle of tomato ketchup from one of his coat pockets. Sans offered it to Frisk first, wordlessly. The boy shook his head, a smile full of food directed at the skeleton.

Chara was even more engrossed with her meal, struggling to get as many fries on her quivering fork as possible, before shoving it into her mouth. "hey kid, you want any ketchup?" Sans prompted, grabbing her attention. She opted to nod vigorously, not trusting her voice with all the food in her mouth.

Sans passed the bottle to her smoothly. "bone appetit." Chara rolled her eyes at his pun, upturning the bottle shakily and squeezing it over her food. To her dismay, and the skeleton's sniggering across the table, the bottle lid fell off with the first squeeze, dousing her food completely in the condiment, ruining it.

Frisk saw this happen and immediately frowned at Sans, who continued to chuckle regardless. Chara was far less sedate. "*Why did you do that! I thought you were getting us food, not just using it as an opportunity to get a one-up on me!" At her indignant cry, several of the patrons started looking around, murmuring.

Sans noticed this and quickly acted to defuse the situation- even Frisk looked like he had something to say, ignorant to the sudden interest around the bar. "chill out kid, we can swap! i like ketchup, no need to get your bones in a twist about it." He whispered discreetly, pushing his untouched plate toward Chara and then dragging hers toward him.

The girl huffed and said no more, slowly digging into her new plate of food. Frisk looked between the two of them, sighed and returned to his own, sparing a disgusted glance at Sans, who was greedily eating the tomato-drenched sandwich on his plate.

Halfway through his meal, Sans stopped eating, placing his cutlery down and closing his eyes and sighing. "actually… whilst food was the first plan, there was something i wanted to talk to you both about."

Frisk, who was nearly finished, looked up to the skeleton and waited patiently for him to speak. Chara continued to eat, though was regarding Sans as she did so, proving that she was attentive. Sans opened his eyes and spoke, seriously. This was a subject they could no longer avoid.

"so… what do are you going to do about my brother? i know it didn't go so well the last time you saw him frisk, but i think you understand his viewpoint." Frisk's expression became reticent, and he turned his head away from the two. Chara was equally as slow to respond; on the one hand, he had very nearly either killed or done some serious damage to Frisk, but on the other…

He was a genuine character. She doubted it would have gone any better had anyone else been in his place, made arrangements for the boy's safety. Upon returning to Snowdin, even though the tall skeleton had professed it to be in the name of 'capturing his prisoner', he had immediately gone to retrieve Sans, and had provided them with shelter. What surprised Chara was his notable absence, something which the girl attributed to his brother, who was presently sat across from her and Frisk.

She spoke first, carefully. "*I'm worried that he might try to fight us again, but… we need to get past, whether he wants to be our friend or not." Chara matched Sans' hard stare with her own. There were many meanings that could be derived from her words, and the skeleton wanted to be sure.

"and how are you going to do that?" Sans asked quietly. Frisk recovered from his contemplation, waiting for what Chara would suggest. The boy didn't think he could endure another beating from Papyrus- he just wanted to be his friend! As before, he was troubled; when he tried putting himself in the skeleton' shoes, on one hand there was 'being friends', and in the other was 'aspirations of being royal guard'.

Frisk didn't want to present that dilemma to him again. He didn't want to make Papyrus have to choose- he would rather he didn't have to do that at all. "I… I think maybe me and Chara should run, so we don't have to ruin his dream, and we don't have to fight!" the boy meekly suggested, to which Sans nodded thoughtfully.

"that's one good way of doing it for sure. but… knowing my brother, he'd try to catch you. not to mention he's gonna be much _faster_ than you. that said… i don't think he wants to hurt you ever again." The skeleton laid it out truthfully. They would never be able to escape Papyrus, and running away might just dissuade him from friendship if he perceived them to be lying about it all.

"*Well… could we try again then? Before, Frisk tried talking him down, but he was obviously conflicted about it all. If you're right, and he _doesn't_ want to fight, then maybe it'll work this time." Chara suggested. The boy caught onto what she was saying, but that still left the _guilt_.

"what did you have planned?" Sans questioned, his strangely stoic smile twitching upward. Chara responded with a sly grin of her own, grabbing onto Frisk's hand under the table. The boy felt himself flush once again as the girl spoke, looking at him mischievously. Despite his concerns, he smiled back.

"*Frisk was just gonna run and grab hold of him, not letting go until Papyrus gives up! If that doesn't work, nothing else will!" Chara said all this proudly, never taking her eyes off of Frisk, as if searching for his approval. At his smile, she felt herself flush with an odd-sense of… vindication? She couldn't describe it. Judging from the way her partner reacted, and Sans' chuckling across the table, she knew it had to be better than what she would have initially suggested…

"ha… I think you could be onto a winner there. i betcha he's not gonna know what to do, and he's just gonna sit there, gobsmacked! …what's wrong, frisk?" Sans' voice switched from an amused tone to one of concern, which immediately worried Chara. She thought Frisk agreed!

The boy was looking down at his interlocked hand with despondence. "I… I just don't think we should take his dream away from him like this! He told us, you know. If he captured me, then he would get to be Royal Guard… but if he becomes friends, it'll probably never happen!"

Sans sighed at the boy's miserable speech. This was the issue? It was true, his brother had spoken of nothing else for _years_. However…

"frisk, chara… _do_ you want to be friends with my brother?" They both nodded fiercely, Frisk was on the verge of tears, whilst Chara looked at him concernedly. Sans shrugged at their response, closing his eyes.

"then what's the problem? you can't just put someone else's dreams above your own with something like this, and besides, i _know_ he wants to be friends with you too. i'm not suggesting _completely_ disregarding his aspirations, but i think he values friendship far more than some lofty title, no matter what he says. until now, he's only ever had me and undyne, who he doesn't see that often." Sans took a deep, shuddering breath, before releasing it slowly and opening his eyes, his smile returning.

"besides, after everything he did after his little mistake, and what he's doing now… i don't think you've got anything to worry about. c'mon, let's finish our breakfast." Both children were gazing at him intensely, Chara with a lopsided smile, whilst Frisk had a small one. It was assurance, whereas before the boy had none. No matter what, they would have to try.

As they finished up their food, he only hoped that this time, it would work out.

* * *

-X-

The trio had left Grillby's, Frisk thanking the veteran for all the food beforehand. The fiery monster had responded by bringing a hand to his head, and pushing his glasses upward diminutively. Chara had translated his hissing response as- "*Anytime, kid. Keep Sans in line will you?"

Needless to say, the girl had found this quite hilarious, and it was with slight embarrassment that Frisk thanked Grillby again and quickly led Chara out before any of the other monsters got too curious about the disembodied laughter.

Sans had left before them, unaware of what had just passed. He rose an eyebrow-ridge at Frisk's smirk, and Chara's barely concealed glee, before leading them soundlessly to the edge of Snowdin.

He stopped at the large, two-storey house next to the shed where they had stayed the night in 'captivity'. Before he headed through the door, Sans went to check over the enormous pile of letters piling up around the mailbox beside the entrance. Picking out one carefully, he stood there, examining it before placing it in one of his coat pockets.

Chara, curiosity overtaking her, approached the mail scattered around with Frisk in tow. Most of the letters seemed to be written in scrawling shorthand, addressed to '*Mister Papyrus Costello Gaster', whilst one envelope was far neater, addressed to '*Doctor Sans Connare Gaster'.

"*So you are a doctor! I knew it!" Chara exclaimed victoriously, to which Sans grimaced. The skeleton snatched the letter she had picked up from her, before pocketing that one too.

"old news kid. besides, getting to do nothing but watch for the occasional human is far more interesting." Sans intoned dismissively, rummaging around in another pocket before producing a key, which he then put into the lock on the door.

As the door swivelled open, he turned round to face the children. Chara had already lost her smirk, replaced by a serious expression. Frisk, whilst still uncertain, faced him with as much resolve as he could muster. The skeleton smiled at them both.

"right. i know you can do it! remember what we talked about. he's not gonna want to hurt you, and i'm certain your plan will work. remember, i'm rootin' for ya. he should still be where you found him last." Sans spoke gently and encouragingly, winking when he finished.

Both children smiled at him determinedly. Chara gave the skeleton a firm nod, which Sans reciprocated. Despite the… awkwardness of their initial encounters, and the heavy feeling he could still feel clouding over the girl, Sans knew he could trust her as long as she stayed with Frisk.

The boy on the other hand, spoke. "Thank you Sans, for all the help you've given us. We won't let you down, and… I'm glad you're such a good friend to us, too." Frisk finished by holding out his right hand to Sans, a twist on their first meeting.

Only this time, he faced the monster as an equal. The skeleton shook his hand, somehow managing to get his whoopee cushion between their palms, as they did before. Despite his attempt to lighten the mood, Sans nodded to Frisk too. "no worries, frisk. i'll be keeping an eyesocket out for ya both, you'll see me around."

And so it was with a wink and a final wave that the children left Snowdin once again, far more determined for their next meeting with the prospective royal-guard.

* * *

-O-

This time, the children were nearly _marching_ toward their destination, hand-in-hand. Though they did not speak, they occasionally shared glances of confidence. They knew what they had to do, nothing would stop them this time. Not fear, nor any errant flying-bones. Papyrus was going down!

…Into their list of friends. As they walked along the path toward the tunnel, the mist from before did not appear, and they could see their red and white quarry stood up ahead, facing away from them.

"*You can do this Frisk. I believe in you." Chara whispered in the boy's ear one last time, clenching his hand. He responded by clenching back, his previous embarrassment forgotten. How glad he was that she was here… No amount of pep-talking by Sans would have convinced him to do this if she hadn't been by his side.

As it was, they were approaching ever closer, and Papyrus finally turned around to see him, an upset expression on his face. He was trembling once again, his gloved fists tightened.

"WHY ARE YOU HERE? I THOUGHT SANS… NEVER MIND. PLEASE FRISK, TURN BACK. TURN… WHAA?!" Papyrus' mournful speech developed into an exclamation of surprise as the steady, determined pace the boy had been walking suddenly developed into an all-out sprint… aimed right at him.

Doing his best to quell his surprise, and not quite anticipating what was happening, Papyrus adopted his trademark 'proud' stance. "AHA! SO YOU HAVE COME BACK JUST TO BE CAPTURED AGAIN! BY ME, THE GREAT PAP-OOF!"

The tall skeleton's eyes nearly popped all the way out of their sockets as Frisk _launched_ himself at him, clasping his arms around his bony abdomen. Both he and the boy tumbled into a pile on the snow, coughing and spluttering.

Not once did Frisk relax his grasp, nor did Papyrus attempt to dislodge him. The tall skeleton managed to sit up, his arms hanging in the air, as if afraid to touch the boy. Finally managing to catch up, Chara stood off to the side, watching the scene unfold intently.

Papyrus was utterly perplexed. He hadn't expected this kind of attack! What was this, and what was the boy mumbling about? "I MUST SAY, THIS IS A MOST DEVIOUS ATTACK! THAT YOU COULD OUTSMART ME, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, SO HANDILY! I… WHAT? I CAN'T QUITE HEAR YOU…" He tried his best to maintain his profile, but it wasn't quite working. Even he could hear the cracks in his loud voice. What was this?

Several moments passed before the boy managed to pull his face away. "…P-Please, Mister Papyrus! Can we be friends? I-I don't want to fight you again, I… just want…" Frisk pleaded, tears in his eyes. His resolve was eroding away rapidly, he couldn't speak coherently, he just _wanted_ the skeleton to understand.

It didn't take long. "I… WELL I… DARN IT ALL." Papyrus burst out, defeated. He had spent all night on this dilemma, just as Sans had asked. It was only now that he finally had his answer, just as his brother predicted he would.

"IT'S NOT WORTH IT. THE ROYAL GUARD. I ALWAYS WANTED TO BE A GUARD SO I COULD HAVE MORE FRIENDS, BE MORE POPULAR. BUT EVEN IF I GOT THERE… WOULD I EVER HAVE ANYONE AS SINCERE AS YOU?" The tall skeleton intoned, more reticent than either child had seen him thus far. Frisk began to smile, his tears falling as he hugged.

"THINKING ABOUT IT, I DON'T WANT TO TAKE THAT CHANCE. I'M NOT GOING TO TRADE YOU FOR ANY TITLE… I WANT TO BE YOUR FRIEND TOO! AND WHAT A GREAT FRIEND I WILL BE!" Papyrus spoke thoughtfully, becoming more and more energetic, looking down at the boy.

"WOWIE… THAT WAS A LOT EASIER TO ACCEPT THAN I THOUGHT! BUT I… FRISK..." Once again, the skeleton became withdrawn, his energy spent. He turned his hollow eyes away from the boy, staring into the distance.

"CAN YOU… PLEASE FORGIVE ME? I DIDN'T MEAN TO HURT YOU, ONLY TO CAPTURE YOU! I… I HAVEN'T MADE A GOOD IMPRESSION, HAVE I?" Frisk responded by finally relinquishing his hold on Papyrus' abdomen, sitting up and moving his hands to the skeleton's arms. He smiled, his eyes clenched closed as he answered.

"Papyrus… of course I forgive you. I just hope I can be a good friend to you, and one day, we'll get you to be royal guard!" His utter honesty, the sheer emotion expressed caused Papyrus to look back at Frisk in shock. Shortly after however… his trademark genial grin reappeared, his excitement causing him to bounce where he sat.

"YES! ONE DAY MAYBE, BUT THAT DOESN'T MATTER RIGHT NOW! THANK YOU FRISK! I WILL BE THE BEST FRIEND EVER, FOR NONE CAN BE BETTER THAN I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS! WOWIE! I'LL HAVE TO TELL SANS! C'MON! I'M GOING TO GET RIGHT DOWN TO THIS 'FRIEND' BUSINESS!" Papyrus exclaimed happily, grabbing Frisk's shoulders. The boy just laughed as he was lifted up, and carried through the air as the skeleton stood proudly.

To the side, watching it all unfold, Chara breathed a sigh of relief. As she saw Papyrus chatter away excitedly, and her best friend laugh happily, she felt a surge of unknown emotion course through her.

…Pride? Yes, there was definitely that. Everything was working out, and they had one more really good friend. As she watched Frisk though, his expression now happy after all the turmoil of before...

He would keep looking back at her and smiling. What was it? Like fire, but doused in tears… which she rubbed away as she continued to watch, a beaming smile of her own returned back to him.

* * *

-X-

 **A/N:** Sorry for the delay, at least I warned you beforehand, right? At least this is the largest chapter yet… I hope you like it! Hopefully it won't be quite as long to the next chapter, but it's not going to be 'one every other day' like it once was. I hope you understand, work and all. I also upped the rating to T, it kinda had to really… (I don't think I did the last scenes very well, criticism would be appreciated!)

A big thanks to: Rabbherself, jack hopper, allen Vth, Pure con Arroz, 'no-one', Guest (if you say so…), Me3e3e, PhoenixCaptain, Akayuki Novak, 'Your Best Friend' (Everywhere and nowhere), RustyBuckets, TheEmeraldQueen and Arashi IV of VI for their lovely reviews! Massive thanks to allen Vth, Me3e3e, PhoenixCaptain, Akayuki Novak and RoxasConan for their awesome discussions with me! Lastly, a big thank-you to all those who favorited and followed! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

A big step with this chapter. So… Just what's going to happen next? See you next time!


	22. Ossuary

Chapter Twenty-Two – Ossuary

-O-

It was with an odd sense of déjà vu that the girl looked up at the rigid shoulders of the tall skeleton, following as he carried her partner from the battleground.

Only this time, Frisk was sat upon Papyrus' shoulders, giggling in response to the skeleton's chattering. What they were talking about, she had not the presence of mind to discern.

She couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy as she scrutinised them- not only did she desire to join in their fun, but she resented Frisk's diverted attentions. Up until now, he had been sharing his laughter with her!

Chara sighed silently, her eyes closing. This was the price she had to pay for her fruitless sacrifice… But she was glad Frisk was making new friends. Not once had he shown any inclination for spite- the boy was not ignoring her.

These thoughts still did nothing to mitigate her jealousy, her self-pity. Previously she had dismissed such feelings, but with everything Sans had said, and what Frisk was so upset with her about…

Still, she watched them, listless, hoping they would turn around, and Papyrus would pick her up too as her adoptive father once did… That she and Frisk would hold each other for balance, trusting, smiling, as if they had always done so…

As the boy finally turned around to glance at her, regarding her with a joyful expression seemingly ignorant to her troubles, she thought she might be at the cusp, the edge of comprehending what they had both meant.

The twisting, nauseous feeling welling up as Frisk returned to talking with Papyrus only drove the point in further.

* * *

-X-

"…AND THAT'S WHY SANS CHOSE TO GUARD AS FAR AWAY FROM ANYTHING AS POSSIBLE! I MEAN, SERIOUSLY! IT'S ONE THING TO BE LAZY, BUT ANOTHER TO CLAIM HE GETS GOOD CONVERSATION WAY OUT THERE!"

Papyrus was gossiping away happily about himself, Sans, and just what they were doing living in Snowdin. The shorter brother had never offered much about himself or what he did, nor did he seem inclined to do so when asked.

Frisk was more than interested to find out more about his new friends, but could only attempt the occasional question every now and then. Papyrus' eagerness made it difficult to get a word in edgewise, so the boy settled for just listening… and trying to maintain his balance on the excited, bouncing skeleton.

The only time the boy had managed to speak properly was immediately after their resolution; the skeleton had not set him down, instead whisking him atop his shoulders with practiced ease, holding onto his legs so he wouldn't fall off. Frisk hadn't even had a chance to ask about it, or dissuade him! Papyrus had then claimed, waving off his concerns, that Sans liked to perch there often, whether it be to irritate him or to 'see above the _clouds_ '.

"WHAT _ARE_ CLOUDS ANYWAY? IS HE MAKING UP THINGS AGAIN TO FOOL ME? DARN THAT BROTHER OF MINE!" He exclaimed irately. Frisk, eager to impress him, spoke despite his better judgment.

"They're real! Clouds are big, white fluffy things that float high up in the sky! They look really pretty when the sky is blue, and sometimes… Sometimes they rain! That's not good though, because it gets cold and wet…" Frisk shivered in reaction to the last part, some particularly unpleasant memories surfacing.

Papyrus had tensed underneath him, his pace slowing. "AHH THAT'S RIGHT… YOU'RE A HUMAN, YOU CAME FROM THE SURFACE… WAIT… YOU MEAN, THERE'S NO STARS IN YOUR SKY?! SANS _WASN'T_ MAKING IT ALL UP?!" His tone was doubtful. Suspicious yet curious. His skull-head upturned to glance at the boy in expectation for the answer.

"There are, but only at night! In the day, the sun comes out, and its light blocks out all the stars! Everything's so much more colourful, and you can see things like clouds… It's warm too!" Frisk explained, tugging on his borrowed jacket as if to emphasise the point.

Papyrus frowned, peering up at the boy. "HMM… SO THIS 'SUN'… IT MUST BE BRIGHT, YES? IS IT ALSO BLUE? NO, WAIT! DON'T TELL ME! IT'S… _GREEN_!" He shouted the last word, which made Frisk jump despite being already near-deafened by the skeleton's sheer voice.

The boy shook his head, giggling. "Most of the time it's yellow! But on evenings, it can go a deep-red… Making the whole sky look like it's on fire! It's so very beautiful!" As he watched Papyrus' increasingly sombre mood develop, the inappropriateness of the topic finally hit Frisk, and his face fell. He swallowed hard.

Papyrus faced the path ahead once more, preventing Frisk from seeing his face. "IT SOUNDS LIKE AN AMAZING PLACE ALREADY… ONE DAY WE'LL ALL GET TO THE SURFACE, AND I CAN SEE THESE 'CLOUDS' AND 'SUN' FOR MYSELF. I BET THE REST OF THE PEOPLE WILL BE AMAZED TOO…" He spoke so lowly that Frisk had to lean forward in order to hear his words clearly, which he quickly paid the price for.

"WELL! THEY'LL BE EVEN MORE AMAZED AS I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, CAPTURE THIS 'SUN'! NYEH-HEH-HEH! WON'T THAT BE IMPRESSIVE? SURELY A FEAT OF MY CALIBER… HAVE I TOLD YOU YET ABOUT HOW I _NEARLY_ CAPTURED SNOWDIN'S ANNOYING DOG? IT KEPT STEALING THE BONES FOR MY SPECIAL ATTACKS, SO I…"

After the ringing finally diminished in his ears, Frisk resorted to merely listening to Papyrus' wacky tales. He was just glad that the skeleton was not long perturbed by the _sensitive_ topic of the monster's entrapment, and was more than eager to share about his life, such as it were.

It was as they could just hear the muted hubbub of Snowdin that he turned around on Papyrus' shoulders to see Chara, who seemed to be looking past him, dolefully. Only when he beamed at her did she seem to snap out of it, and even then she only returned him a half-hearted grin. Watching her for a moment, he turned back before the skeleton could wonder what he was looking at.

Frisk was confused. Why was she so unhappy? Was she sad that she was unable to join in, incorporeal as she was? Unfortunately, Papyrus could not see her like Sans could… The thought of which led the boy down the now familiar trail of depressive thoughts surrounding her circumstances.

Was she truly thinking about what he said, like he asked? Chara _had_ become more reticent after his confrontation, and when he or Sans weren't talking to her she'd be seemingly lost in thought. Frisk had initially accepted this with righteous vindication, believing that she would change her viewpoint. That he had managed to get through to her, believe in her worth. Despite the obvious impact his words had, it was becoming increasingly clear that more needed to be done. It was only after the embarrassment and events of the morning, whilst numbly responding to Papyrus that he too could think clearly about it.

Had he been unfair? It clearly wasn't a pleasant memory for her either, now that he had forced her to ponder it. But it was all wrong… she was wrong, and yet… _Was_ he right to do so?

Was _she_ right?

No. What she had done went against everything he believed- he couldn't fathom any circumstance where such a sacrifice was worth it, especially when it had failed. Why did it fail? What exactly justified her suicide in their awful plan?

He didn't want to know. And as it seemed that she couldn't remember the reason, he didn't want her to know either. This plan _would_ be different.

Glancing once more behind him, noticing his partner's melancholy disposition, he resolved to make it up to her. Somehow.

* * *

-X-

They had just passed the skeleton's shed when Frisk finally managed to catch-up on what his new friend was saying.

"Your favourite place? I don't know Mister Papyrus… Might it be…?" The boy was interrupted by a loud groan underneath him. Two red-gloved hands reached up, grabbed him by the waist and lifted him from his high-perch, returning him to solid, less energetic ground. It took a few moments for the sudden dizziness to wear off.

"FRISK, YOU DO NOT NEED TO CALL ME THAT! WE'RE PALS! BESTIES, AS UNDYNE LIKES TO CALL IT! INSTEAD, YOU MAY REFER TO ME AS 'PAPYRUS', OR AS I WOULD PREFER, 'THE GREAT PAPYRUS'. WHICHEVER YOU PREFER! NOW, MY FAVOURITE PLACE… IT'S SOMEWHERE I SPEND A LOT OF 'ALONE TIME'…" The tall skeleton chided him lightly, despite his barely restrained excitement.

As Papyrus marched up to the front door of the very brick-house Sans had left the children for previously, it was all Frisk could do to prevent his jaw from falling, eyebrow raising quizzically. "…MY HOUSE! WELCOME! I WILL SHOW YOU THE… _'INSIDE'!_ THERE WE MAY BEGIN OUR FRIENDSHIP!" Without a moment's hesitation, the skeleton slammed the wooden door open and entered, taking the time to rub his boots on the mat just inside.

Shaking his head and chuckling at the spectacle, Frisk made to follow after him. It was only a few seconds before the boy realised something was missing, flexing his empty hands, causing him to look around frantically. Calling for her here was out of the question, unless it was a really dire circumstance… which to poor Frisk it had already begun to feel like.

Thankfully, the familiar, green-clad figure appeared, trudging into sight just past the town's boundary. How had she managed to lag behind this much? ' _Surely, Papyrus isn't_ that _fast!'_ Frisk thought, surprised. That said, he hadn't been paying much attention, half-absorbed in thought and half-listening to his host as he was…

Hearing Papyrus' questioning tone beyond the door, Frisk beckoned as unobtrusively as possible at his partner, biting his tongue so he wouldn't shout. As much as he now trusted both the skeletal brothers, he would always want Chara by his side!

Seeing her seem to perk up and run, the boy felt his smile return. Perhaps they could forget their troubles, have some fun with their new friends, if only for a little while. It was not to be however.

"AHH THERE YOU ARE! WHAT ARE YOU DOING WAITING OUT HERE?! COME ON IN!" Ignorant to Frisk's pathetic protests, Papyrus reappeared, booming and once again picking up the boy by his shoulders, carrying him into the house, closing the door behind him.

As the door clicked and locked itself, Frisk gulped, a sinking feeling pervading through him as Chara was shut out. Papyrus deposited the boy on the floor in what appeared to be the living room of the home, assuring him that he'd be back in 'JUST A JIFFY!', as he _ran_ upstairs quickly.

Swiftly returning to the door, he was already stumped by the locks- they were too high up for him to reach! How Sans managed, he could only imagine! Looking around quickly, he could find nothing in the vicinity for him to stand on to unlock it, and he could only return to where he once stood before Papyrus reappeared, a large cookbook in hand.

"NOW FRISK, ALLOW ME TO PRESENT TO YOU THE SCENIC 'MY HOUSE!' SANS LIVES HERE TOO, THOUGH HE JUST SLEEPS AND MAKES A MESS… BUT ANYWAY! TAKE A LOOK AROUND!" His friendly, exuberant welcome combined with the boy's enthusiasm to befriend Papyrus made it impossible to refuse. Gulping, his face pulled taut with worry, Frisk could only hope Chara would manage to find a way in, or that he'd manage to get her inside before something bad happened!

* * *

-O-

' _*Well now what?'_ Was Chara's pervading thought as she stared up at the imposing door.

The handle obviously didn't work, and attempting to knock, even as hard as she could manage, barely elicited the faintest of thumping noises. Several minutes and sore knuckles later, she gave up this avenue of entry.

How had things managed to mess up like _this?_ Admittedly, this was all her own fault- she had been dawdling, deep in thought, her mind shifting from her own situation to that of Asriel's. If she was… like this… Then why was he a flower? What part of the plan required him to become that way, almost a completely different person? The way he had spoken to them each time so far deeply insinuated that _she_ was culpable to his current, twisted circumstances.

She almost didn't want to know. Despite what Frisk believed; the feelings behind his words and the _consequences_ of her choice… She liked what she had now. With him.

To get to him however, she'd have to beat this obstacle. The impassable door.

Thinking about her condition gave her an idea- she was a ghost, wasn't she? Closing her eyes and concentrating, she placed her palms against the door and leaned against it. Surely, if monster ghosts could pass through objects, then human ghosts could too?

Nary a minute later, impatience once again overthrew her efforts. The only progress she had made was indenting the snowy ground with her footprints. That clearly wasn't going to work.

Nor was going around, shouting for help to the other Snowdin residents. The ones that didn't shriek in terror at the haunting whisper of her voice merely withdrew into themselves, hurrying along as if they weren't hearing things.

Frustrated, the girl resorted to prowling around the house, looking for any windows she might be able to climb through. Again however, she was thwarted- no windows on the ground floor were open, and all were too high for her to reach.

To her relief, she spotted small steps leading to what appeared to be a peculiar white cellar door behind the house, obscured behind a particularly large snowdrift. It was out of sight from the thoroughfare on the other side of the building, and even then Chara only discerned it because she had been peering for a way into the house.

It was almost as if it was meant to be hidden, set as it was.

Reasoning that it was an unexplored avenue, and it may lead deeper into the house, her childish curiosity overtook any other inhibition. "*Besides, it's probably locked anyway…" Chara muttered to herself, carefully making her way down the frozen steps. Were she any heavier, she might have slipped and fallen, but soon enough she was at the cellar door, hand grasping the small, silver handle.

To her simultaneous joy and trepidation, it was unlocked.

Moving in eagerly, she searched for a light-switch, or lamp, relying on the dim light from outside to see. Finding a large, plastic button embedded in the wall by the doorframe, she pushed it, which thankfully illuminated the surroundings in a pale, white light.

It appeared more like a study, or… a laboratory, than anything. Each, featureless wall was painted in light-grey, and there were two lamps for each side of the room, providing more than adequate coverage. The floor was smoothly tiled in a darker grey, and the only door was the one she had entered in from, cementing the room's status as little more than a cellar.

Disappointed, Chara moved to leave, resigned to the fact that she would probably have to wait for a while. Hopefully, Frisk would manage to think of some excuse and get Papyrus to open the door… she prayed that she hadn't already missed the opportunity!

Wait.

Something had caught her eye. Returning her gaze to the room, she looked at the worksurfaces attached to the leftmost wall. On them were scattered papers and pictures. Seeing little harm in taking a peek, Chara approached the nearest counter and shifted her eyes over the documents.

Most were written in a strange, scrawling dialect that she couldn't possibly hope to decipher- it was almost as if they were written in code! Disinterested, the girl instead observed the pictures. One photograph depicted four people in lab coats stood in a row; Sans smiling happily, a short, yellow lizard-like monster-lady with glasses, her _father_ , and a very tall, skeletal figure, who despite not looking _too_ dissimilar to Papyrus, was far less _toothy_ , and more regal.

They were all stood, hands on each other's shoulders, looking quite pleased. Whatever about? She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but scrutinising their face, she felt as if she knew the tallest figure…

Shaking her head and looking away from the photograph, she turned her attention back to what had caught her eye. Against one wall was _something_ completely obscured in grey cloth- it was large, cuboid and had a note attached to one side.

Moving closer, ignoring the familiar prickling feeling on the back of her neck, Chara reached slowly toward the cloth, reading the small note, which merely stated 'don't forget'. Don't forget what? She pulled on the fabric, driven to find out.

" **What are you doing here?** "

If jumping out of one's skin were a possibility, Chara may very well have done so right then. As it was, the girl leapt to the side, shrieking loud enough to force the otherwise intimidating figure to recoil backward.

"damn kid you've got some lungs on ya. it's just me, chill out!" The figure was indeed revealed to be Sans, who was still wincing, arms reaching outward in a placating gesture. Getting her sudden, rapid breathing under control, Chara glared at him with wide eyes.

"*Why did you do that?! I'm gonna be a nervous wreck after this! Announce yourself less _scarily_ from now on!" Chara cried, her voice shaky with the adrenaline rush. She hadn't even heard him enter- it was as if he had just _appeared_ behind her, silent as it was in the cellar previously.

"sorry kid… wait, no, i'm not sorry, you're kinda trespassing in my workshop. where's frisk?" Sans asked unapologetically, rubbing at the side of his head with the sleeve of his trench-coat. Chara folded her trembling arms, frowning, attempting to mask her previously frightened appearance.

"*'Workshop'? Doesn't look like a lot of 'work' goes on in here… And Frisk is with Papyrus in the house, I came here looking for a way in." The girl said brusquely, raising her brow pointedly at Sans after she finished. The skeleton just sighed, shoving his hands back into his pockets.

"well you came to the wrong place. c'mon, i'll get you inside… gotta wonder how you winded up in here… it's supposed to be locked." As he said this, Sans turned and gestured for Chara to follow him out the door. Passing the mysterious object one more look, the girl followed him out, eager to get back to Frisk and Papyrus.

"*It was open. Not my fault you can't be bothered to lock the door." Chara fired back sardonically, glancing at the door as she passed through to see that it in-fact did not have a keyhole. This fact only caused her expression to fall in confusion as Sans produced a key from one of his pockets, closing the cellar-door behind them and shoving the key somewhere into the door-handle.

Hearing the distinctive 'click', Chara rescinded her snide attitude for a moment. "*Now how did you…" Her question was cut short as Sans whipped round abruptly, bringing the key right in front of her face, which caused her brown eyes to cross, moving back in surprise.

"skeleton key." Sans answered simply, moving past her and up the obscure steps to ground level. Only when he heard her loud groan did he allow himself to snicker.

* * *

-X-

Frisk was trying his best to keep up with the host, who was showing him around the house with endless enthusiasm.

At that moment, they were in the kitchen, having already seen the entirety of the living room, upstairs corridor and bathroom. All that was left after this was Papyrus' bedroom. Sans' room was always kept locked, which the tall skeleton claimed his brother would never divulge the reason why.

"PERHAPS HE JUST DOESN'T WANT TO BE DISTURBED? I HAVE LITTLE TIME FOR SUCH A THING, IMPORTANT AS MY DUTY IS, WATCHING FOR …AHEM… YOU, FRISK! NYEH-HEH-HEH!" The boy giggled as Papyrus had stood before him proudly, one hand on his chest, the other just above his brow in a smart salute.

Presently however, the energetic skeleton was explaining the various spaghetti-related recipes he could make from his book. "…TONIGHT I THINK I SHOULD MAKE 'BOLOGNESE'! IT WAS THE FIRST RECIPE I LEARNED, AND I'M SURE YOU WILL ENJOY IT, FELLOW PASTA-LOVER!" After he said this, Papyrus winked at him, swivelling and moving over to the tall refrigerator. As was the case outside, Frisk could only listen demurely and nod as the skeleton bombarded him with information.

The boy watched as he sifted through the fridge, humming an upbeat tune to himself. It was not long before he produced three tubs containing various ingredients- one contained only long, thin strips of beige pasta.

Papyrus set the tubs down on the counter nearest the oven, which was in pristine condition. Frisk thought it might have been brand new, were it not accompanied by what appeared to be bottles of various cleaning products- the boy reasoned that he must be very meticulous with his cleaning. Or Sans was, but he seriously doubted _that_ …

"YOU KNOW FRISK… YOU DON'T TALK THAT MUCH, DO YOU?" Papyrus spoke evenly, turning round to face the boy, arms folded. Frisk barely resisted the urge to voice the sarcastic remark that nearly bubbled out of his mouth- Chara really was rubbing off on him!

"Well… You are showing me around your house. Maybe one day, when I get a house, I can do all the talking!" Frisk chirped, smiling at his friend. This only caused the skeleton to frown, narrowing his eyes.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, 'WHEN YOU GET A HOUSE'? DON'T YOU HUMANS HAVE HOMES TO CALL YOUR OWN?" Papyrus' response took Frisk by surprise- he hadn't been expecting a question like this!

Looking everywhere but the skeleton, he thought of a quick answer. "W-well, I don't… but I do think it's the people you're with that…" The boy was interjected by Papyrus' startled exclamation, his eyes popping out of their sockets dangerously.

"NONSENSE! CODSWALLOP! ABSOLUTELY LUDICROUS! HOW DOES _MY_ AMAZING FRIEND NOT HAVE A HOME? NO BED TO REST ON? NO SOFA TO WATCH TELEVISION ON? NO OVEN TO MAKE DELICIOUS PASTA WITH?!" With each exclamation Papyrus edged closer, and since the boy was already leaning against the wall, the proximity of the skeleton's last indignant shout blew Frisk's hair back into a whole new hairstyle.

His shock wore off quickly, replaced by an odd-sense of bitterness, clouding his normally gentle expression. This wasn't what he _ever_ wanted to think about, especially not now. "I just… don't. I guess. Never mind, huh? How about your pasta then… how long does it take you to cook?" Frisk lamely attempted to evade the skeleton's question once again, naïvely hoping that he would take the hint and drop the topic.

"NOW DON'T TRY TO PLAY THE 'DODGING-SHMODGING' GAME WITH ME, FRISK! THAT'S SANS' FAVOURITE GAME, NOT YOURS! BESIDES, THE PASTA… CAN… _WAIT_. IF SOMEONE AS COOL AS I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, HAVE A HOUSE, THEN SURELY YOU, THE GREATEST OF ALL THE HUMANS MUST HAVE ONE TOO!" Papyrus had firmly grabbed Frisk by his upper arms, and was insistently but gently shaking him, staring desperately into the boy's half-lidded eyes.

Whilst Frisk was touched at Papyrus' high-placement of him, he dearly wanted to just _not_ talk about this, his mind clouding further and further. He hadn't even spoken about it with Chara yet, and with the way she was, the girl was in the same boat as he!

Vainly, he tried struggling out of the skeleton's grip, but had neither the heart nor the strength to do so, closing his eyes tightly and shaking his head. He snapped. "I don't! I'm not great! I just want to hide away and _dream_ that I'm a better person… that I…"

Tears. The onset of sobs. Once again, Frisk couldn't maintain face in front of someone who he _knew_ must have it much worse than he did.

He felt Papyrus' hands leave his arms. ' _He must be disappointed… I've totally messed this up…_ ' Frisk thought, depressingly. Not for the first time in the short period he was alone with Papyrus, the boy wished Chara was still there, for comfort if nothing else. He trusted that she wouldn't be ashamed, that she might understand.

One hand grasped his shoulder softly, another placed on his head, patting slowly. "NOW WE KNOW THAT'S TRUE ALREADY. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO DREAM, YOU ALREADY ARE BETTER! BESIDES… ONE DOES NOT SIMPLY JOIN THE GREAT PAPYRUS' LIST OF FRIENDS WITHOUT BEING THE BEST OF THE BEST! YOU… WAIT! I HAVE AN IDEA!"

Frisk reopened his bleary eyes when Papyrus' hands left him once more. Rubbing the tears out of his vision, he watched open-mouthed as the skeleton posed before him, his new red scarf billowing behind him in a non-existent wind. "Mister Papyrus…" Was all the boy could whisper, a lump in his throat.

Papyrus donned his titanic grin, winking down at the boy. "YOU COULD STAY WITH _US_! I MEAN, UNDYNE STAYS OVER HERE SOMETIMES, AND SHE ALREADY HAS A HOUSE! SO, UNTIL YOU GET SORTED, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, GRANT YOU PERMISSION! TO LIVE HERE! BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT BEST FRIENDS ARE FOR!"

He couldn't speak, utterly stunned. Once again, he was flattered so immensely by the generosity of the Underground's residents. Before Chara, Frisk had been almost certain that no other people would want to care about him, he was bereft.

But then he fell down. And all of a sudden there was her, Toriel, Sans, Papyrus…

In an attempt to hide the tears that now fell in full force, and knowing only way he could possibly express how much the skeleton's gesture meant, he did the only thing he could think to do.

"AHH! A SURPRISE ATTACK! ALAS, POOR PAPYRUS, YOU HAVE BEEN BEATEN!" Papyrus yelled as the boy leapt at him, wrapping his arms in a vice-grip around the tall skeleton's bony midsection. Recovering, the aspiring knight tremulously leaned down, and hugged his new friend back.

As Frisk shook and wept, sobs and muffled half-words reaching out, Papyrus was certain he had just performed a feat worthy of his greatness. He barely had to do anything, and he was more than happy to offer him this! After all, with everything the boy had already done for him, showing him the path, the weight lifted off his shoulders…

Friendship was always worth it.

* * *

-O-

"*So… _Doctor_ Gaster… What was with that thing back there? The one hidden under the rags?"

Not even two steps taken after his pun took hold, and Chara was already needling Sans again, curious about the cellar. She followed close behind him, hands crossed behind her.

This meant that she nearly collided face first with the skeleton's back as he halted, unmoving. Keeping her annoyance in check, the girl circled round in front of him, catching a glimpse of his chagrined face before he schooled it back into its normal, nonchalant mask.

"don't call me that, kid. that thing back there? nothing cool, if that's what you're hoping for. Besides, it's broken anyway, you can't even cook spaghetti with it. trust me, my bro already tried." Sans chuckled as Chara stared at him irritably, thoroughly underwhelmed by his answer. He took this cue to continue trudging around the house, though she didn't let him go for long.

"*I don't believe you!" She accused. Sans snorted, glancing at her as she moved up beside him once more and keeping pace.

"doesn't matter if you don't, that's the answer you're gonna get." He fired back, indifferent. This time, Chara dropped the issue, scowling. With how strangely short he was being with her, she knew this had to be something bigger, but she wasn't going to get her answers off him yet.

So, she tried a different question before they moved to the front of the house. "* _Okay_ then… how about that photograph? The one with you, my dad and two other people on it? Who are they?"

She had worded the question innocently enough, nor did she mean to sound _too_ prying. Which is why Chara didn't expect Sans to turn to her, his expression as hard as it was the other day, when Frisk lay wounded by her side.

"friends, from a long time ago. never ask me that again." His tone, which was normally quite calm, seemed harsher than usual. Sans' posture did not change, hands in pockets, but Chara backed up a step anyway.

Why was he being so cagey about this? It was just a photograph! Surely there was no harm in divulging that! She was starting to regret even asking about it, as frosty as it seemed to make him. "*But why…?" Meekly attempting to broach the topic a little further in spite of his request, what she got nearly made her heart leap out her chest.

" **Wouldn't you rather I divulge some of** _ **your**_ **secrets, Chara?** "

There it was again, his voice in her head, the prickling feeling on her neck. His eye-sockets had gone completely hollow, yet his ever-present grin never wavered. Gulping, but steeling herself and frowning, she shook her head to the negative. "*No… and from what I already remember, I don't want to know either."

As soon as she said this, Sans' eyes returned to their normal pinpricks, and his smile became more lopsided. "you're finally learning then. one way or another though, both you and frisk are gonna find out. now drop it." He warned, though he kept his tone light. Chara grimaced, then nodded.

"*We'll manage, don't worry. Now if you're not going to answer my questions, could you at least let me in, so I can get back to Frisk?" Despite her rather sharp tone, Sans managed to guffaw once again for a reason Chara did not know, which only deepened her frown.

Perhaps to add even more insult to injury, once they reached the front door the short skeleton merely pushed on it, and it swung open. He gawped at her in deadpan, one eyebrow raised. She stared right back at him, she wasn't so easily fooled. "*You unlocked it when you left."

He shrugged and entered in before her, waiting in the short hallway for her to come in before he closed and locked the door. After they were both in, Chara started to look for Frisk whilst Sans trudged onto and up the stairs slowly.

"*Where are you going?" The girl asked dubiously, perturbed by the fact he had apparently been only concerned in removing her from his cellar. She saw him shrug once more, still climbing.

"to my room. i'll see you both later maybe." Sans intoned, waving his hand out before returning it to one of his pockets. It wasn't long before he crested the stairs and disappeared out of sight into the upstairs corridor.

Chara shrugged to herself; she thought he'd be more interested. "*Dinner? Now where's Frisk…" She mumbled, looking around the living room she had entered. It was spacious, with a huge green cotton sofa backed against the largest wall, an equally large television propped up against the other. There were several display cases with varying assortments of decorations; some had books, others seemed to have strange rock collections, whilst the last group had dried-out flowers on display.

The walls were a dark burgundy, which would give the place a rather dreary appearance were it not for the range of brightly coloured posters and framed-pictures hung around haphazardly. Their contents were either of artfully arranged bones or stylised flower meadows. All in all it made for a clashing, vibrant display.

Finally, there was what appeared to be a wide but rather dilapidated wooden dining table, with four chairs tucked neatly underneath. Chara dimly noted that it seemed as if it hadn't been used in a long time- it was the cleanest part of the room.

Hearing sounds coming from what appeared to be the kitchen, the girl moved toward it and immediately spotted both her partner and their new friend, hugging each other like they had done earlier.

Only this time, Papyrus looked less surprised about it, and gentler. Chara watched for a moment with relief, a small smile on her face. No matter how much she wanted to join in, she left them be for a little while, just glad that nothing had gone awry without her presence.

…Or had it? The tall skeleton pulled away to reveal a tear-stricken Frisk, his eyes tightly shut. Instinctively, Chara rushed over to the boy, reaching her arms around behind him and burying her face behind his neck.

* * *

-X-

"*Frisk, I'm here! It's okay, you're okay!"

The boy had tensed at the sensation of smaller arms coming around his back, but relaxed at hearing the familiar whisper behind his ears. Everything would be okay. A wound-up tension he hadn't known was building left him, and he leaned back slightly, nodding and smiling shakily to acknowledge his partner. When had she got back? …It didn't matter.

He was glad she was here with him again.

Feeling the skeleton pull away from him completely, Frisk finally opened his eyes, determined to put on a brave face for them both. Looking down, he could see the familiar arms clad in green sweater wrapped around his abdomen, and above him was the oddly soft visage of Papyrus, unknowing of the extra company he had.

He shivered, despite the warmth behind him. It wasn't fair. Once again, he had connected with someone so utterly kind, that wanted him to stay, to be cared for.

With everything he and Chara had promised to do, he knew they had to be kinder, even though it hurt.

The skeleton was thankfully oblivious to his turmoil, flush with satisfaction. "WELL FRISK, I THINK THE SPAGHETTI CAN WAIT A LITTLE LONGER. I HAVE SOMETHING I WANT TO SHOW YOU! COME WITH ME!" Papyrus announced, before grabbing the boy once again by the arms and lifting, despite his whining protests.

"WOWIE KID! HOW DID YOU MANAGE TO PUT ON SO _MUCH_ MUSCLE… BEFORE YOU'VE EVEN EATEN ANYTHING? I GUESS I REALLY AM A GOOD INFLUENCE!" Of course, lifting Frisk up at this point included taking his partner with him as well, who hung on for dear life as her previous wish was suddenly granted, though perhaps not in the manner she wanted.

Unswayed by how suddenly awkward the boy was to carry, Papyrus stubbornly held him and his unseen cargo at arms-length, huffing and marching all the way from the kitchen and up the stairs before depositing them in front of a heavily decorated door.

The skeleton stood there for a moment shaking his arms around as if they were dead weight, whilst both children tried to pick themselves up from the pile they were in on the floor. "*Well… that hurt. I'm thinking telling him to _not_ do that again, eh Frisk?" Chara quipped agonisingly from her position, sitting laboriously upwards and rubbing her now sore head. The boy merely whined in agreement, glancing at her with a pained expression. Unfortunately, he couldn't answer her with the present company- he sorely wished he could though, that both of them could properly meet like Sans could…

Papyrus interrupted his train of thought by exclaiming in an exasperated manner. "I CAN'T FEEL MY ARMS… THAT MUST MEAN I'M BEING A GOOD HOST, AND AN EVEN BETTER FRIEND! NYEH-HEH-HEH!" At Chara's pointed look, Frisk gulped and attempted his persuasion. It had to be done.

"Erm… Mi… Papyrus… Thank you, but I think from now on, I can walk… You don't need to carry me! B-besides, it's uhh… good exercise!" The boy ventured, which elicited a slapped forehead from Chara. It was worth a shot.

Against both child's expectations, Papyrus seemed to give this serious thought, bringing a hand to his mouth and frowning, instead of reciprocating a simple 'yes or no' answer. ' _*Really, we should be expecting this by now_ ' Chara thought amusedly.

"HMM… THAT WOULD BE PERHAPS THE BEST IDEA. YOU ARE _EXCEPTIONALLY_ HEAVY FOR YOUR SIZE… BUT YOU HAVE SUCH SHORT LEGS… HOW DO YOU GET ANYWHERE?!" Papyrus said incredulously. The skeleton's insistence, the insinuation about his _weight_ , and the emotion from earlier forced Frisk into a childish pout, lips jutting outward as he frowned up at him.

This had an unexpected effect; firstly was the sharp gasp to his side, secondly was Papyrus gesturing his gloved hands before himself defensively. "FINE, FINE! I PROMISE I WON'T DO IT ANYMORE!" The skeleton cried, leaving Frisk dumbfounded at how it worked so effectively. He turned to Chara and shrugged slightly, though she was looking away, hand over her mouth.

Papyrus cleared his throat nervously and straightened from his previously hunched stance. "ANYWAY… I WANTED TO SHOW YOU SOMEWHERE THAT IS SPECIAL TO ME… VERY PRIVATE. _ONLY_ MY CLOSEST FRIENDS MAY HAVE ACCESS! WHICH YOU, FRISK, NOW HAVE!" The skeleton exclaimed proudly, presenting the door before them with wide, exaggerated arm waves.

Taking a close look at the door, the children noticed that the 'decorations' were in fact stickers of alternating size and colour. Most were variations of skulls, cartoonish bones and skeletons, whilst a few were labels with thick, block writing on.

"*'No girls allowed… No boys allowed… No Sans allowed… Papyrus _allowed_.' Well, he's got most of the bases covered then. Guess I shouldn't go in…" Chara read out the signs, joking. Frisk smirked at this, nodding appreciatively to both her and the skeleton.

"Thank you very much Papyrus! I promise I won't let anybody else in!" …It was surprisingly easy for him to lie, not that it was hard, given that the other person would be otherwise unseen…

Seemingly pleased with his false promise, the tall skeleton reached for the handle and pushed open the door, ushering him in. This time, Chara rushed to get inside before she was shut out again!

"WELCOME TO THE MOST _SECRET_ OF SANCTUMS… _SAFEST_ OF SANCTUARIES… MY ROOM! ISN'T IT GREAT?!" Papyrus boomed, looking down at Frisk earnestly.

The room was picturesque, a stereotypical boy's room. On the floor there was a large rug with blazing-flame patterns around the edges, and on the walls there were more posters with what appeared to be a tattered jolly-roger flag hung centrefold. A couple of the pictures, to the children's surprise, appeared to be constellation maps of the surface's night-sky.

There were two large bookcases, filled to the brim with a neatly organised assortment of books and magazines. A small, opened door in one wall led into what appeared to be a walk-in wardrobe or closet, filled with hung uniforms and costumes. In front of the large window, which filtered in the starlight of the Underground, was an object that puzzled Chara but Frisk recognised to be a desktop computer sat on a tall desk, though it had no seat. Aside from some cabling, there was a cardboard box filled with bones underneath the desk; whatever for, the children could only guess.

A large bedside table was occupied both by a lamp and a collection of various action figures, none of which either child were familiar with. Lastly, Papyrus' bed, which was an oddity. Not only was it extremely long in order to accommodate the skeleton's height, but it also appeared to be in the shape of a bright red race-car. To top it off, it was decorated with motifs of its owner's face, along with the slogan 'NUMBER ONE SPEED-DEMON'.

Chara couldn't help but sneer slightly at it all- it wasn't to her taste… though the action figures held some appeal from memories long past… Frisk on the other hand…

"Wow Papyrus! This is so cool! Where did you get the flag?!" And the bed?!" Frisk exclaimed in awe, moving and reaching in trepidation toward the large black pirate-banner, much to Papyrus' pleasure and Chara's bemusement. To the girl's slight disappointment, the boy completely ignored the toys, though she remembered dully that he hadn't been interested in them before.

"AHA! I KNEW YOU WOULD BE DRAWN TO THIS FINE, MASTERFUL PIECE OF ART! GREAT MINDS THINK ALIKE, YOU SEE! AS FOR WHERE I GOT IT… UNDYNE BROUGHT IT FROM THE TRASH HEAP ONE DAY. SHE _SAYS_ IT'S FROM YOUR WORLD!" Papyrus explained, moving up next to Frisk and looking right into the eyes of the skull-face.

"*That name again… Frisk, ask him who Undyne is! He goes on and on about her, she's his friend too!" Chara whispered, joining the boy by his side opposite the skeleton. It was a good suggestion- anyone who is a good friend to Papyrus must be a good, kind person too, right?

Their host had not finished talking though, remarking thoughtfully on the flag. "…I MEAN, WHY WOULD A HUMAN FLAG… HAVE SUCH A HANDSOME LOOKING SKELETON ON IT? IT BAFFLES THE MIND! TELL ME FRISK, DO YOU… OH! DON'T TELL ME! I THINK… HUMANS WERE DESCENDED FROM SKELETONS! THAT _MUST_ BE IT! AHA! SAY HELLO TO YOUR ORIGINAL ANCESTOR MY BOY!"

Chara sniggered, though not maliciously. "*Oh man… should you tell him, or will I? Ah…" She murmured jokily, elbowing Frisk gently in the arm. The boy reluctantly turned and matched Papyrus' accomplished grin with his own, sceptical one.

"Erm Papyrus… humans do not descend from skeletons… in fact, there's a skeleton inside me right now, it…" Frisk couldn't finish his statement, interrupted by Papyrus' bewildered, eye-popping yell.

"WHAT-?! YOU MEAN… INSIDE YOU… THERE'S A SKELETON… LIKE ME?! IS IT YOU? ARE YOU KEEPING THEM… CAPTIVE?! HELLO! CAN YOU HEAR ME FELLOW SKELETON! IT IS I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS! I WILL…" Unfortunately for the children's ears, their friend was incensed by this news, and was bent down at Frisk's chest level and bellowing. The boy prised his hands from his ears, which had quickly raised on instinct, and placed them on the sides of Papyrus' head, gaining his attention.

"Papyrus! It's not a skeleton like you! They're not quite alive like you are! They're not the same, just please… stop shouting…" The aspiring knight looked up at the grimacing boy rather sheepishly at his words, ignorant to the glare from his invisible partner.

"*I swear I can hear bells ringing…" Chara muttered, rubbing at her ears, momentarily snagging her fingers in the pink ribbon, forcing her to untie and re-tie it, grumbling. Papyrus gulped and stood, speaking much more quietly, his manner far more serious.

"ERM… SORRY ABOUT THAT FRISK. I JUST… THOUGHT FOR A MOMENT IT MIGHT BE A CLUE AS TO WHERE ME AND SANS CAME FROM. OBVIOUSLY WE CAN'T BE RELATED TO HUMANS, OR ELSE YOU WOULD KNOW ALL ABOUT IT ALREADY! I CAN'T HELP BUT WONDER THOUGH…" Papyrus shrugged and shook himself out of his uncharacteristically penitent mood, before moving over to the table with all the figurines.

At Chara's insistent growl, ribbon in her mouth as she tried to tie her hair up, Frisk remembered their question, but had something to say first. "Papyrus… You don't have to be sorry. I'd be in the same situation if I was in your position, with a clue to where you came from…" The skeleton turned back to face the boy at his quiet words, surprised. He quickly softened his expression though, grinning and saluting him.

"THANK YOU FRISK! OH WELL, NOTHING WE CAN DO ABOUT IT ANYWAY, 'JUST FOCUS ON THE PRESENT', IS WHAT SANS ALWAYS SAYS! WHICH IS FUNNY, BECAUSE HE'S ALWAYS SLEEPING, WASTING IT AWAY…" Once again, Papyrus' usual optimistic attitude seemed to drain, which distressed the boy, hoping that his question would lighten the atmosphere.

"A-anyway, Papyrus… I wanted to ask… Who is this Undyne you've been talking about? I get she's your friend and all… but I would really like to meet her! What is she like?" As he had hoped, the question about Undyne seemed to lift the skeleton's spirits tenfold. Clearly she was a good friend of his to have this kind of impact!

"UNDYNE! SHE'S A MEAN, TOUGH, ROUGH-HOUSING BATTLE-FISH IS WHAT SHE IS! SHE'S AMAZING! CAPTAIN OF THE ROYAL GUARD, SOMETIMES SHE GIVES ME COOKING LESSONS AT HER HOUSE IN WATERFALL! I'M GOING TO APPLY THAT KNOWLEDGE INTO MAKING DELICIOUS 'BOLOGNESE' FOR YOU LATER! NYEH-HEH-HEH!" Papyrus related fondly, smacking a fist into his other palm when he finished.

Mean? Rough-housing? That didn't sound too good… "*She's in Waterfall, huh? 'Captain of the Royal Guard'? I dunno Frisk… As much as Papyrus likes her, I reckon we ought to avoid her… They're looking for you after all." Chara warned evenly, finally managing to retie her bow, though her hair was significantly messier for it.

All of this forced Frisk into a tight grin- he silently agreed with his partner, but he needed more, as loath as he was to disrupt Papyrus' mood once again. "She's the captain? Won't she be looking for me?" He spoke, moving over and sitting on the skeleton's bed.

Papyrus nearly dropped the figurine he had picked up in surprise, carefully placing it back where it had stood before he turned back to Frisk, his grin looking taut. "ERM YES… BUT I'M SURE WE CAN EXPLAIN THE SITUATION TO HER! BESIDES, YOU HAVE ME AND SANS TO VOUCH FOR YOU NOW! SHE'LL JUST HAVE TO WAIT FOR A MEAN HUMAN TO COME DOWN! YEAH, THAT'S IT! SHE'LL LISTEN TO US!"

His uncertainty wasn't well obscured. Frisk bit his lip in thought. They'd have to leave soon, and somehow evade this 'Undyne' if they were to get to New Home. He barely noticed as Papyrus sat down next to him on the bed, looking up at the ceiling.

"HEY… YOU LIKE MY BED RIGHT? YOU THINK IT'S SUPER-COOL RIGHT? I LIKE TO DREAM SOMETIMES THAT I'M ON THE SURFACE, WITH A REAL SPORTS CAR… SPEEDING ALONG A TRACK, RACKING UP THE MILES… BUT… THAT'LL NEVER HAPPEN, SO I JUST 'CRUISE AS I SNOOZE'. NYEH-HEH-HEH!" Papyrus cackled softly after he related his dream, becoming lost in thought.

Frisk gulped. Again he was confronted with their goal, why he and Chara were travelling. Why he couldn't stay. Papyrus' dream just now… the bed, the star-maps on his wall…

If they succeeded, it would become reality. He just hoped that in the meantime, his new friend wouldn't mind him leaving.

He looked back to his partner, who returned his gaze with a wistful smile and a nod. She had heard and seen it too. Returning her expression with his own resolute smile, he felt strengthened.

They could do this.

* * *

-X-

After a couple more hours of Papyrus trying unsuccessfully to enthuse Frisk with the action figures, Chara silently trying to help him along, all three friends had left the bedroom and sat in front of the television in the living room.

Chara had seen televisions before, but never this big or advanced- she had fallen down at a time where they were all monochrome and bulky, not colourful and widescreen. Ergo, she was initially the most enthused as they watched the so-called 'Mettaton and the invaders from above!".

The show involved its namesake, Mettaton, who was a rectangular, gregarious but very narcissistic robot pitted in a struggle against what _appeared_ to be humans. With wings. Huge teeth and fire breath. It had a plot which mainly consisted of the main character beating up the 'bad guys' whilst commenting on how 'bracingly glamourous' he was.

Papyrus seemed to enjoy it very much; on more than one occasion he hid his eyes behind his gloves, peeking out behind them during the tensest parts. Frisk, both trying his best to humour his friend whilst actually finding Mettaton quite entertaining, laughed and squealed along with Papyrus. Chara…

"*What is this? Whilst I agree, humans are pretty evil, we look nothing like that! We don't have wings! C'mon Mettaton, beat them up already!" …Chara muttered heckling comments throughout, enthused in her own way.

Shortly after the show ended, rolling onto another one also strangely led by Mettaton, Papyrus arose from the sofa all three were sat on. "RIGHT! _I_ AM GOING TO START MAKING DINNER! JUST YOU WAIT FRISK! I PROMISE YOU'LL BE MOST AMAZED! I'M NOT CALLED THE 'MASTER CHEF PAPYRUS' FOR NOTHING YOU KNOW!" He declared, marching off into the kitchen and brushing off Frisk's offers to help.

This left the two children alone on the sofa, who were unconcerned with Mettaton's 'Gardening with a green-fingered robot' programme.

"*So… Papyrus. He's a pretty cool guy. A little weird, but the best people are I guess…" Chara remarked, raising an eyebrow pointedly at Frisk. At his pout, she flushed and looked away, chuckling awkwardly.

Frisk, who was aware of her joke but puzzled by her reaction, nodded and answered. "Yeah he's a great person… which makes me sad that we have to leave. He offered me a place to stay here, you know… whilst you were outside." The boy related to her, which shook the girl out of her reverie and into a serious expression.

"*You know we can't. We've gotten quite far now, it's Waterfall next. If we can avoid Undyne then it's just Hotland and the Core before we get to New Home. Think of Papyrus' dream… all the good we'll be doing Frisk!" Chara gently reminded him, grasping hold of his loose hands and squeezing. They stared into each other's eyes and smiled, though Frisk's was pained.

"I know… it just… doesn't make this any easier, knowing what we could have _now.._. But... You're right, Chara. When we free them... it'll be worth it." Frisk whispered, clenching his hands in hers. She grinned toothily at him in her usual lopsided manner, and now it was his turn to blush and turn away, his heart quickening. There it was again!

They fell into a companionable silence then, both mulling over their confused thoughts, present and future as they half-watched what was now 'MTT news'… again hosted by Mettaton. Frisk dully noted the arising pattern emerging here…

He pondered on whether he'd ever meet the strange character that is Mettaton, or at least, whoever managed to create him, make him host monster-television. It would be an interesting experience either way, that much was certain.

* * *

-X-

"DINNER TIME! COME GET IT WHILST IT'S HOT!" Came the cacophonous call from the kitchen.

Both Frisk and Chara got up from where they were sat and approached the source of the noise. Inside the kitchen they found Papyrus wearing a pink apron and chef's hat, decanting spaghetti Bolognese from a pan and onto three plates.

Eagerly, both children approached the dishes, sniffing all the while. It was very fragrant, and despite Papyrus' messy presentation, looked very appetising. The sound of a door opening upstairs, slow footsteps following the noise heralded the arrival of Sans, to Chara's disappointment. The third plate was not for her, though she was hopeful at the amount Papyrus had left behind in the cooking pot.

"It smells really good Papyrus! Thank you!" Frisk praised, eyeing the smallest plate hungrily. The skeleton just stood there, absorbing the compliment with good grace whilst fidgeting with the serving spoon he had been using.

"ah so here's the grub i've been smelling. good thing too, beats fobbing grillby off again." Sans announced casually as he entered, focused on the meal his brother had made. True to his previous behaviour, he regarded Frisk but was entirely ignorant of Chara in the company of his brother.

"YES, I HAVE MADE DINNER. WE HAVE A GUEST, IF YOU HADN'T NOTICED SANS…" Papyrus said irritably, shirking his cooking 'outfit' and grabbing one of the plates. Sans shrugged.

"we do? …ahh you mean the kid? now you know as well as i that he ain't a guest, bro." At the short skeleton's words Frisk adopted a tight smile; were they not actually welcome? He didn't understand! Papyrus wheeled round to face Sans, scowling. He huffed, before his expression suddenly developed into a look of recognition.

"OH I UNDERSTAND! HE IS NOT A GUEST, BECAUSE HE IS A CLOSE-FRIEND! IF HE IS WELCOME HERE ALL THE TIME THEN HE IS THEREFORE NO LONGER A GUEST! I GET YOU!" At Papyrus' exclamation Sans shrugged again, winking at Frisk. The boy felt his lip tremble at the realisation, warming with both the skeleton's and Chara's smiles.

Mutely, he copied Papyrus' example and grabbed one of the plates, and was followed by Sans. The taller skeleton left the kitchen first and sat at the dining table in the living room, though Frisk did not immediately join him. The boy glanced pointedly between the shorter skeleton and his partner, hoping his message would get across.

Thankfully, Sans got the message. Before he went through to join his brother, he winked and quietly retrieved a bowl and fork from one of the cupboards, placing it on the counter before leaving. Frisk quickly transferred as much spaghetti as he could into the bowl before handing it to Chara, who voiced her appreciation quietly, before following him cautiously out of the kitchen. She made sure she stayed behind Frisk, lest Papyrus see the floating bowl of spaghetti!

Finally sitting down at the table, the three corporeal occupants took that as the cue to begin eating. "bone appetit." Sans quipped once again, which made both Frisk and Chara snort, and Papyrus growl through his already munching teeth.

It wasn't actually that bad. The spaghetti itself tasted a bit like string… and the sauce was a little watery, but it did the job, and Frisk was more than flattered that his new friend would go out of his way to do this for him already… though he suspected that the gregarious character was much more than happy to do so anyway.

Chara ate stealthily on the sofa, careful not to spill any of the staining food on herself or the fabric of the seat. In case he didn't ask himself, she would suggest that maybe they stay here for the night before setting out; not only was it getting late but she knew they were both still tired from the ordeals of the previous few days, and more rest couldn't hurt.

Meanwhile, Frisk observed dubiously as Sans once again produced a bottle from his coat pocket, this time beige, which the boy assumed to be mustard. He watched in dismay as the short skeleton unclasped the lid on the bottle and then upturned it on his plate, completely smothering the meal in the sharp-flavoured condiment.

The boy grimaced as Sans readily dug into the ruined pasta, trying not to watch as Papyrus made a strangled sound at the desecration. "MUST YOU ALWAYS DO THAT TO MY MASTERWORKS? IT WAS FINE AS IT WAS!" The taller brother whined, his expression pained. Sans shrugged, taking individual strands of spaghetti and dropping them into his mouth.

Unwilling to validate it any longer, Frisk tore his gaze away and concentrated on his own food, scarfing through it greedily until he was finished.

Papyrus, who finished his meal much sooner, watched with glee as the boy neatly laid his cutlery back on the plate, thoroughly contented. "SO… YOU LIKED IT?" He pressed, observing as Frisk turned to him and smiled, nodding vigorously. This pleased the skeleton inordinately.

"THEN… WELL TOMORROW, I'LL HAVE A DIFFERENT RECIPE PLANNED! PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT, AND I CAN ONLY GET BETTER! I… WHAT?" Almost immediately upon speaking, Frisk's face had become saddened, caged.

Feeling Chara's eyes on his back, and seeing the look of recognition in Sans' eyes, Frisk swallowed, and spoke. "I… I think tomorrow morning, I will be leaving Papyrus. Remember I was… trying… to get past you before. I need to get to New Home." He felt his heart sink at the skeleton's slightly hurt expression, which quickly overlapped into one of confusion.

"NEW HOME? WHY DO YOU WANT TO GO THERE?" The skeleton asked bluntly, his voice quieter than normal. Frisk turned to face him directly, steeling himself.

"B-because I want to see Asgore. I need to see him… about getting back to the surface." He very nearly revealed that he was doing it to get them _all_ back. Papyrus seemed taken aback for a moment, but he quickly frowned. Hard.

"BUT I THOUGHT YOU SAID YOU _DIDN'T_ HAVE A HOME ON THE SURFACE. YOU DO HERE, WITH US. WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT TO YOURSELF?" He argued seriously. Frisk considered his options carefully here- could he tell him? Sans already knew pretty much, but could Papyrus…? Of course the boy trusted him… but with this?

"I… just need to get to talk to Asgore about it, and get to the barrier. With him, I'll be able to sort things out. I… need to do this Papyrus." The skeleton seemed like he wanted to disagree, vehemently. But after a few moments of staring, he sighed, and shook his head slowly.

"FINE. JUST… STAY HERE THE NIGHT BEFORE YOU GO, AND _BE CAREFUL_. ESPECIALLY IN WATERFALL. UNDYNE, SHE… ERM… WELL LET ME TALK TO HER FIRST. AS FOR ASGORE… HE… NAH, YOU'LL BE FINE WITH HIM. HE'S A BIG PUSHOVER… WHAT AM I WORRYING ABOUT?!" The skeleton started his speech off seriously, but as he spoke his tone returned to its normal, enthusiastic self, thumping his chest with a fist.

Frisk swallowed again, feeling the shaky smile creep up on his face. "Thanks Papyrus… I won't let you down. Thank you for… for being my friend. I'm glad I met you!" The boy affirmed this quietly, though all the other occupants heard it clearly, making them smile.

"HA! AND I SHOULD THINK SO TOO! IF NEW HOME IS WHERE YOU WANT TO GO, THEN WHO AM I TO SAY NO? BESIDES, I'LL BE… YEAH, I'M GOING THE SAME WAY! TO SEE UNDYNE! EVERYTHING WILL BE OKAY!" The skeleton proclaimed, standing up and beginning to clear the table, trying to occupy his mind.

There would be a lot to do tomorrow for all the parties present.

* * *

-O-

All the dinner crockery and cutlery was cleared quietly, and in some cases, discreetly. At Frisk's question of just where he would be sleeping, Papyrus revealed that the sofa in-fact doubled as a bed, and both he and Sans rigidly went about unfolding it, claiming that Undyne often slept on in it when she stayed over.

The rest of the evening went by uneventfully- both Frisk and the tall skeleton cooperatively washed and dried up the dishes from dinner, whilst Chara stealthily laid the bed and got ready for it pre-emptively, so she was out of Papyrus' way.

The tall brother had announced that he was going to have an early night, his expression advertising that he was clearly deep in thought. However Frisk wasn't about to let him go so quickly.

"Thank you Papyrus, for everything today. The dinner, showing me around your house, the bed to sleep on…" The boy sniffled, hugging the skeleton once more, though perhaps not as desperately as it had been previously.

The skeleton hugged him back, softly. "NONSENSE FRISK. LIKE I SAID BEFORE, YOU ARE NOW ON MY 'GREAT FRIENDS LIST', YOU DESERVE THIS MUCH AT LEAST! I KNOW YOU WOULD DO THE SAME FOR ME! NOW, IF YOU'RE TO MAKE GOOD ON YOUR LITTLE JOURNEY, YOU'LL NEED YOUR REST!"

At his encouraging words, Frisk parted from Papyrus and gave him as strong a smile as he could muster, to which his friend patted him on the head affectionately before leaving for his room, closing his door quietly.

As Frisk cleaned himself up for the night in the bathroom, Chara managed laboriously to tuck herself into bed. It was still a hard effort, but was far better than the _nothing_ it had been before. She was still wondering at how she was getting stronger, when the boy got in next to her, pulling the covers over himself.

Chara turned over to him and bit her lip, something to say. "*I know it was a hard decision to turn down his offer, but you know it's the right one. If… no, _when_ we succeed, maybe we'll still be able to live with him on the surface! Think about that… We'll be able to live with all of them!" She encouraged, watching as he smiled softly.

"Yeah… Knowing that, and that I have you with me, that makes it worth it Chara…" Frisk whispered, looking at her. The girl nodded, feeling her heart race at his words, his face so close.

"*I'm just glad it's all working out so far, you've got two more great friends, excluding yours truly of course… And besides, didn't Papyrus say he's coming to Waterfall anyway? To speak to Undyne?" She murmured, trying to ignore how he was fixated on her intensely.

Frisk nodded. "Yeah… and Sans said he'll keep an eye out for us… It'll be okay… We just have to keep going." He affirmed, equally trying to ignore how her close, flushing face was making him feel. At her tremulous smile, it didn't take much longer before neither could take it anymore, and they both rolled to face away from each other, trying to settle down.

Although they would have much preferred to take Papyrus' offer, to rest a little longer in what was now good, safe company, they knew their mission was far too important to shirk. Very soon, they would enter Waterfall.

Though the prospect of meeting the terrifying Undyne, or any other hostile monster was an unpleasant thought to consider, they both had the fullest of confidences in each other, and knew that as long as they stayed together… maybe, just maybe everything would be alright.

* * *

-X-

 **A/N:** **I have a… uh… surprise after the author's note. Don't read it if you prefer more serious stuff.**

Well, once again I've been delayed. Work, work and more work. At least I've got a chapter almost twice the size of any I've posted before out for you… Even though I'm REALLY not proud of this one. I hope that despite its shortcomings, you enjoy it, and thank you very much for bearing with me.

A huge thank-you to: AnyOtherTime, the two Guests, Dr drummer, no-one, PhoenixCaptain, Me3e3e (twice!), TheEmeraldQueen, allen Vth, Akayuki Novak, Arashi IV of VI and jack hopper for their lovely reviews! An additional big thank-you to RoxasConan, PhoenixCaptain and Akayuki Novak for their awesome discussion with me! Lastly, cheers to all those who favorited and followed! I hope you enjoyed this huge chapter!

Anyway… about that _'surprise'_ …

This is in return for something made for me by RoxasConan, something they went WAY out their way to do for me, and in appreciation I thought to write a little O-make based on one of the far zanier ideas we've gone over… So, any loss to sanity or dignity you get from reading the following passage, it's all their fault…

* * *

 _Ossuary O-make. READ WITH A –FEW- PINCHES OF SALT:-_

 _-?-_

"… _ANYWAY… I WANTED TO SHOW YOU SOMEWHERE THAT IS SPECIAL TO ME… VERY PRIVATE. ONLY THE MOST SUPREME OF SPAGHETTI MAESTROS MAY HAVE ACCESS! WHICH YOU, FRISK, NOW HAVE!" The skeleton exclaimed proudly, presenting the door before them with wide, exaggerated arm waves._

 _Taking a close look at the door, the children noticed that the door would not have looked out place on a Roman temple! It was made of white marble, inlaid with gold tracings. The artistic lines seemed to sketch out a strange, stringy figure with two googly eyes atop it- one of the strings that composed it extended far from its front… touching what appeared to be a skeleton reclining on a plate of… spaghetti?_

 _Frisk gawked at it, absolutely bewildered. But neither Papyrus, who seemed excited, nor Chara, who was oddly reverent, seemed perturbed by it._

" _Erm… thank you very much Papyrus… I promise I won't let anybody else in… but… what is this place?" The boy asked, unable to keep the uncertainty out of his voice. How he had not noticed before, he was unsure- the white door in an otherwise dim house… But also, the steam creeping out from underneath the door frame…_

" _I AM GLAD YOU ASKED THAT FRISK! FOR I, THE MOST EXALTED PAPYRUS, INVITE YOU! TO MY MOST SECRET OF SANCTUMS! MOST PREMIER OF PYRAMIDS! MOST DELICIOUS OF DINERS…!" Frisk stopped at that word. Diners?! What was this?!_

 _His question was answered as Papyrus pushed open the marble door… and into…_

" _WELCOME TO PAPYRUS' SPAGHETTI SPRINGS!"_

 _The children had been pushed into a place that would give heaven a run for its money._

 _Except, you know, for the fact that the ground was made of spaghetti. Hills in the distance, made from shaped-pasta. White, fluffy clouds circled the blue sky, sun shining through them. Were they on the surface? Who were all these people?_

 _There were various pools of what looked like sauces… with monsters swimming about in them. One had an incensed looking, bipedal fish-monster, who had grasped a stout, yellow lizard-like monster with one arm and was lifting them up and down in the air…_

 _In another pool, there was… Was that Asgore? And Toriel?! And what were they… Oh no! Frisk turned back to Papyrus desperately, only to find that the doorway they had come through was gone… They were trapped here! And yet…_

 _Papyrus himself had changed his outfit, and was dressed in what seemed to be stereotypical toga, wearing a wreath around his head. Made of pasta. He patted the increasingly palpitating boy on the head, entangling and anointing his hair with tomato sauce._

" _NOW, ENJOY YOURSELF MY BOY! NOT MANY ARE SO PRIVELEGED TO OBSERVE… THE BOLOGNESE BALL-PIT!" Suddenly, Papyrus, the king of pasta,_ pushed _Frisk back firmly. Losing his balance, the boy yelled and fell backward… far… Landing_ into _something soft, and gloopy._

 _Wiping the gunk vainly out of his eyes, Frisk found himself wading in a pool of marinated mince and sauce… Bolognese, like the skeleton had promised… Hearing an almighty splash next to him, he looked over to see Chara… skinny-dipping and swimming through the pool toward him!_

 _Seeing Sans sat at the side of the very same pool, dozing, wrapped up in spaghetti hoops sent him to the edge. Seeing Papyrus laughing heartily, sat on his throne of garlic bread and various other side-dishes sent him gasping._

 _Seeing Chara pop-up right next to him, pasta her only dignity, exclaiming "*Join in Frisk! The sauce is_ Fine-!" _Sent him screaming._

 _Screaming. This couldn't be happening. "*Frisk!" This couldn't be happening. This couldn't be-_

-?-

 _He woke up, screeching his lungs out, something wrapped around his abdomen._

 _Running out of breath, he quickly realised that it was dark, that he was not covered in spaghetti. That Chara was calling his name as she clung to him. They were still in the skeleton's shed!_

" _*Frisk! What's wrong?! It's only a dream! Only a dream!" She was saying desperately, rubbing at his heaving back. Chara was fine, she wasn't crazy, unclothed or covered in pasta. It was fine._

 _Hugging her tightly, Frisk related to her what he had just seen, omitting_ certain _parts. "Oh Chara… it was terrible! I don't think I could stomach pasta ever again…" He shivered, and she smiled lopsidedly at him, giggling._

" _*It was only a dream Frisk. We're not mad, and there's certainly no such thing as the 'spaghetti springs'. It's okay… Just take it easy, and try to get back to sleep, okay?" She was being very patient, but he could see the fatigue traced along her features. Her blinking eyes red for more than one reason. He felt ashamed of himself._

" _Sorry, Chara… I…" The girl shook her head, smiling._

" _*Don't worry about it! Now let's go back to sleep, big day tomorrow, remember?" He remembered._

 _Watching her as she laid back down, he smiled. What would he do without her? He couldn't imagine waking up by himself anymore, without anyone to comfort him, to be by his side, to talk to…_

 _Wait._

 _Peering closer, he felt his throat close shut, his eyes widen madly. He tried to scream, but no sound would come out._

 _Caught in her auburn hair, was a single strand of spaghetti._

* * *

-X-

 **A/N 2:** Yeah. Nah.


	23. Maw

Chapter Twenty Three – Maw

-S-

It was at the stroke of midnight when both the skeletal brothers convened in the younger's room, speaking in uncharacteristically hushed tones.

Sans could _hear_ Papyrus pacing back and forth restlessly in his bedroom. This wasn't right- his brother would _always_ hit the sack straight after his bedtime story… Clearly his work was cut out for him if 'Peek-a-boo with Fluffy Bunny' wasn't going to work!

' _perhaps he's just sad that frisk is leaving… good thing he doesn't know about chara too…'_ Sans mused, rising lethargically from his battered mattress. Taking care not to trip over the various bits of strewn clothing and equipment, the short skeleton navigated toward his door and exited, intent on Papyrus' room.

He hadn't been able to sleep through a night for as long as he could remember. It was why he took naps so often, though he never told Papyrus, Alphys… anybody. As soon as the _dreams_ started, he woke quickly in a cold sweat.

A dark, grotesque figure. Strings pulled. Blue light. The silhouette of a child with red eyes. It was part of the reason Sans had been so dubious about the girl, her sin and aura notwithstanding.

Asgore had _far_ more sin on him than Chara had, and _yet_ …

He glanced down the stairs, seeing the children fast asleep in the bed. Both were clung tightly to one another, Frisk with his head buried in the girl's neck, she with her arms above the duvet but wrapped around his shape. Oh how _tempting_ it was to go wake one of them up now, in their position…

He resisted, shaking his head. The lazy sentry turned and grasped his brother's door handle silently, clearing his muddled thoughts. She had shown she could be trusted, could redeem herself, especially with Frisk to hold her leash.

Walking through into the room, Sans had his suspicions confirmed- the lights were on, and a pyjama-clad Papyrus was elliptically marching around his room, face set in deep concentration. It was a wonder he didn't drive himself dizzy with the pace of it!

Closing the door behind him, the short skeleton waited for his introspective sibling to notice his presence.

Normally quite patient, Sans decided he had quite enough after twenty laps, moving forward and coughing mutely before _he_ became dizzy.

Papyrus immediately and almost _violently_ reacted; he jumped backward several feet, clinging to the wall, eyes popping out… all whilst eliciting a piercing scream, his hidden potential as a soprano revealed.

Flinching for but a moment, Sans had to act fast before he awoke the children down below. Scrambling clumsily toward his brother, he tripped on the binding of his flame-rug, launching rapidly toward him.

"OOF!" The rapid change in Papyrus' screech to a baritone wheezing might have otherwise been funny, were it not so _painful_. They had managed to get stuck, Sans' arm through a ribcage, the tall-skeleton's foot downward through a pelvis. Still, as the brothers tried to pull apart, only to interlock farther, Sans managed to use the opportunity in lightening the mood.

"you know… i used to think you were always way too uptight bro… but now i can see your _humerus_."

His whispered jest was followed by what wouldn't sound amiss coming from a train-whistle. An incensed, pun-fuelled Papyrus somehow managed to launch upward from the pile they were in, dislodging his brother in the process. "SANS! WHY ARE YOU IN HERE?! I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF SOME VERY IMPORTANT THOUGHTS… WHICH YOU HAVE RUINED!"

Papyrus had the presence of mind to quieten down his voice, seeing Sans raising his index-finger to his mouth exaggeratedly, but the intensity of his glare did not diminish. Tapping his foot expectantly, he waited for his brother to right himself, though the lazy skeleton did not get up, shrugging where he lay instead.

As he often did, Sans started by evading the initial question. "what were you thinking about pap?" It was voiced gently enough, and he had smiled somewhat disarmingly up at his brother.

He was still moderately surprised at the about-turn in Papyrus' demeanour however. Normally he'd keep up his ire for situations like this, but now… His sibling's grimace retreated into one of uncertainty. His features withdrawn.

"I… WELL FRISK WANTS TO LEAVE TOMORROW, AND AS GREAT A FRIEND AS I AM, I NORMALLY WOULDN'T WANT TO KEEP HIM. BUT…" Papyrus' unusually quiet voice petered out, leaving Sans to guess. The short skeleton expertly replaced his smile with an understanding expression.

"…and you want him to stay. it's okay to feel that way bro, and i'm sure..." His reassuring tone was cut-short when his brother waved dismissively, shaking his head in chagrin. Sans frowned, waiting for the real answer.

"IT'S NOT THAT. UNDYNE MAKES HER WAY TO WATERFALL'S ENTRANCE TOMORROW TO HEAR OUR REPORT." Something in his manner, the way he refused to look at him threw Sans off kilter. Normally Papyrus was more forthcoming than this, and the effort at concealing whatever secret he was keeping took its toll on the poor skeleton.

"so? it shouldn't be that hard to hide frisk until she leaves, keep her out of the loop?" As he finished, the unmistakable flash of guilt across Papyrus' face told his brother what he had done before he even said it.

"I… SENT A MESSAGE TO UNDYNE. THAT A HUMAN HAD ENTERED SNOWDIN. THAT THE NEXT TIME I MET HER, I WOULD HAVE HIM. CAPTURED." The tall skeleton hesitantly confessed, his shame increasing with his brother's dismay.

The elder brother smacked his palm to his forehead. This complicated things. Enormously. Though Papyrus was thoroughly contrite about the mistake, it didn't change that now Frisk had been put in enormous danger. _'at least he hadn't been served up on a silver platter…'_ Sans mused, though it was little comfort. Now he knew why Papyrus was so adamant about following, yet was willing to allow Frisk to leave.

"I'M SORRY SANS. I DIDN'T… IF I HAD KNOWN WHAT SHE'D…" The short skeleton waved off his brother's words, getting up from the floor, scowling.

"it's not me you have to apologise to. can't you tell her he got away, or that he's already gone way ahead? she'll believe you… right?" Papyrus' unwaveringly grim face told Sans all he needed.

Hiding Frisk wasn't going to work- Undyne would arrive and turn the whole place upside-down. It couldn't be explained as a mistake, Papyrus was too honest and she knew it. Even if they were to somehow evade her and the rest of the guard, they'd still have to get _past_ her, not to mention the suspicion and distrust that would be sown on his brother.

To his surprise, Papyrus had a relatively straight-forward, if flawed, risky solution. "THAT'S WHY I SAID I'D BE GOING WITH HIM, TO MEET UNDYNE. HOPEFULLY I CAN TALK SOME SENSE INTO HER, AND THE CRISIS CAN BE AVERTED!" He chirped optimistically, his voice edging louder. Sans cocked and tilted his head, peering up at him for a long moment, as if making sure it was really him. Papyrus was unflinching however, and the shorter skeleton displayed his reassurance with a chuckling sigh, looking back down to the floor.

"fine, but i'll be going with you." Sans shoved one hand in a pant-pocket, the other he raised to allay Papyrus' imminent questions. Once again he tried to be as disarming as possible, the look he'd adopt when his brother was younger, more spirited than he was even now.

He swore he'd never let him down, and this was one of the times he needed to take action. "first off, we need to make sure undyne never meets him, especially with us in tow. if we waltz up there with frisk, she'll think we're handing him over… and let's just say we don't want _anybody_ to think that." Sans explained, deflating Papyrus from any rebuttal. The boy wasn't the _only_ one who would feel betrayed after all, and he wasn't sure he wanted to see what might happen if it did occur.

"so… once we get there, we split. i know a shortcut to get ahead of him, but he'll have to go the long way round. then, we can either persuade or distract undyne long enough for frisk to get clear, _and_ then we can keep an eye on him from afar. sound good?" He snickered at the increasingly gobsmacked display in front of him, slouching to his normal posture.

"WOW SANS… THAT'S A GREAT IDEA! SINCE WHEN DID YOU DECIDE TO STOP BEING LAZY?" Papyrus asked, the shocked awe unrestrained in his tone. His brother responded by swivelling and facing the bedroom door, intent on leaving back to bed, his job done.

Despite being inwardly flushed with the praise, Sans spoke once more, seriously. "because he's my friend too."

* * *

-O-

" **Wake up."**

Never would Chara lie and say she was a morning person. Comfortably wrapped tight in the thick, lumpy duvet, it was as close to heaven that the girl could imagine. She grasped hold of it as hard as her sleep-laden muscles would allow, pulling a big clump closer to herself.

Groaning croakily, she buried her head into the soft material, praying that it was all her imagination, and sleep would come once more. Surely she would be allowed a little more time… just five more minutes…

" **You need to wake up Chara.** "

The girl shook her head, gritting her teeth. She wouldn't let her eyes open! "*Go away!" Chara whined, curling her body up under the sheets. Where was…

"Chara…"

Her gummed eyes shot open at Frisk's soft voice, only to immediately squint in the light of the room. The boy was stood on the floor next to the bed, and had been reaching a hand toward her tremulously until she opened her eyes. He flinched back when she looked at him, his face flushed redder than she'd ever seen it, avoiding her gaze.

She dimly wondered on his behaviour until she heard a low-cough from the foot of the bed. "believe me when i say sleep really _mattress_ , but you need to get going soon." Sans intoned, his hands in his coat pockets.

His grin was a little _too_ smug for her liking, and with the awful pun in addition to how grumpy she was liable to be anyway upon waking up, she snapped. "*What could _possibly_ matter so much that you would wake us up _now_?! I feel like I've barely slept!"

Chara pulled herself upright on the bed, quite a task for her, still wrapped up in the duvet. Sans matched her glare with his mask of indifferent amusement, unmoved by her venomous tone. "you have to go early if you want to avoid undyne, and miss her patrol."

Sans spoke smoothly enough that the children wouldn't catch his slight-lie, not that they would have had any way of discerning the truth in the first place. Though Chara was still caught up in her righteous-anger, she could see the logic in his words, and begrudgingly started wriggling out of the sheets without further argument.

"so, you'll have to catch some quick breakfast and get going _soon_. papyrus made frisk a packed-lunch, though with the amount he makes i'm sure there'll be enough for you both out there." The skeleton continued, backing away from the bed slightly.

It was at those words that Chara noted the conspicuous absence of their spaghetti-loving friend; and with the way Sans was addressing her like this in their house… "*Where is Papyrus?" She asked, managing to swivel her legs out and onto the floor.

This time, Frisk answered. "Papyrus has gone ahead, to 'scout it out'! He says that although I'm his friend, he still has to take his duty seriously!" The boy chirped, finding his voice. Chara looked at him and chuckled, smiling, which seemed to make him shrink back nervously.

Now puzzled by his actions, she voiced a question that came to mind, seeing him stood there ready in Sans' old jacket. "*Frisk, why are you already up?" She inquired curiously.

Her query seemed to make him shrink back further, his hair obscuring his eyes from her. The boy's hands were clenched to his clothes. Still he wouldn't look at her, and his face…

Chara turned to Sans, at a loss. Her confusion only ran deeper as she noticed him watching Frisk amusedly. After a few moments, the skeleton turned to her, his now _eerily_ smug grin wider than ever. "frisk i awoke first, since he was laid on top of y-"

"I woke first so you could get a bit extra rest Chara! Nothing more than that!" Frisk _shouted_ , drowning out the last of what Sans was saying. The boy was trembling, breathing heavily, wild-eyed. The skeleton did not seem perturbed by the interruption, instead strangely satisfied. His shoulders shook rhythmically, for what reason, the children could only guess...

Shocked with the outburst, it took a minute for Chara to close her mouth, gaping at her partner. He was very flustered about something that she had no hope in determining. "*Well… uh thanks I guess, Frisk. What's for breakfast?" She asked, hoping this change in topic would clear the atmosphere.

When she finished, the boy looked up to her for a moment before looking at the floor once more. She had caught a glimpse of his quivering jaw and lips, feeling _her_ face heat up. What was going on?

Mercifully, Sans interjected once again, the mirth thick on his tone. "just toast and jam this time, nothing special. frisk's already had his, if you wanna come through." He offered, turning and walking to the kitchen without waiting.

Chara arose from the bed and made to follow Sans, but not before approaching Frisk and grasping one of his clenched fists gently. They were hot to the touch. "*Hey, you okay partner?" She whispered, searching his face concernedly. Oh how Chara wished she could read people better…

The boy pulled his hand away, but still managed to turn up his head and look her in the eye with a small but nervous smile. "I-I'm fine Chara… Sorry… Y-you go and… get some breakfast. I-I'll be right here."

After several moments of gentle persuasion, it was clear she was going to get no more out of him. The girl gave him one last worried smile before making for the kitchen, leaving Frisk stood there pensively.

Sans meanwhile was lounging next to the sink, watching lazily out of the window. He turned and nodded when he noticed her presence.

Concerned about her partner, she decided to ask Sans about it immediately. "*Do you know what the matter is with Frisk?" She asked straightforwardly, keeping her voice quiet so that the boy wouldn't hear. The skeleton merely raised his shoulders, watching her with a neutral look.

"he's hung up over something i guess." He said nonchalantly, maintaining his shrug. Chara was unimpressed with his answer, approaching closer to him.

"*…And you _know_ what it's about! Will you _please_ tell me what it is?" She pressed, gritting her teeth at the word 'please'. She didn't like being in the begging position here, and she desperately wanted to know what ailed her friend…

…But Sans would have none of it. "i might do, but it's not my story to tell." Fed-up with the mysterious-evasive answers already, and irritated at the infernal cheeky grin that was once again growing on the skeleton's face, she gestured at him accusingly, calling him out.

"*You were about to say it earlier! Come on!" If she got any louder, Frisk would _definitely_ hear. Sans was unflinching, merely seeming as if he was enjoying himself.

"guess you can see right through me huh? it's not as _funny_ now anyway, you'll have to figure it out on your own." Despite yet another dreadful pun, he spoke with finality, folding his arms. All Chara could do was scowl as she struggled to make her breakfast, distinctly aware that despite his far-less intimidating demeanour, Sans was watching her.

* * *

-X-

The two children and their skeletal escort left Snowdin for the tunnels of Waterfall not long after Chara finished eating.

Not much more had been said. Whether that was due to the new journey about to unfold, or Frisk's behaviour, it was hard to define.

Strangely, Sans was trudging far ahead of them both, and when Frisk increased his pace to catch up with him, he seemed to speed up as well, remaining out of reach. So he had no choice but to walk with a silent Chara, who after breakfast was once again deep in thought.

Not that the boy blamed her for being quiet; he hadn't exactly been great conversation in the opening minutes of the morning. He was roused by Sans, who seemed _delighted_ once again to do so whilst Frisk was in the most _embarrassing_ position possible.

It still _burned_ where she had been snuggling into his neck.

All of it was very confusing to the boy, who before he fell down had never been so close to _anybody_. Nor did he have so many encounters in such a short amount of time before… It was nerve-wracking and yet at the same time, addicting.

The only thing he did know was if he looked at her for much more than a glance, his heart would quicken. _Something_ would arise in his chest. Warmth.

He wouldn't let it distract him anymore. They had made a promise, for his best friend, Sans, Papyrus, Toriel… All the monsters. Frisk couldn't let his inexplicable confusion stop him and her from reaching the barrier and fixing all of this.

To prove it, he'd start right now.

Frisk turned to his introspective partner, thinking of something to say. They were just now passing by where he had fought Papyrus twice, only succeeding yesterday. On this third occasion though, there was no tension or hostility, no magical fog to freeze and obscure. Nor was there any sign of the tall skeleton, who the boy reasoned must be waiting for them in the tunnel.

The only thing in the air was the wind and his ongoing confusion. Gulping, he said the only _rational_ thing that came to mind, snapping Chara out of her daydream.

"Chara… what's Waterfall like?" He managed to speak without the stuttering he expected. Already it was a success! The girl looked at him, blinking. She then smiled and answered, seemingly oblivious to his audible gulp.

"*Well… I told you before about how it is pretty… the crystals in the tunnels _twinkle_ like the stars above-ground, only they never fade or move… Of course there's also the streams running through it, that all begin from the _big_ waterfall you'll see when we enter further in."

Pausing for a moment, Chara smiled again, though this time it was taut with sadness. Whether it was subconscious or not, the girl's pace slowed right down, Frisk keeping with her. Sans slowed down as well, glancing behind at them with a grin, though neither child noticed.

"*All the water comes from that river you see down there." Chara said, cocking her head and pointing in the direction of the sheer gorge in the distance to their left. As she did so, the motion shook her hair and the ribbon tied in it. The boy nodded dumbly at her words, but his attention was fixated upon the motion, staring.

The girl continued, ignorant to Frisk's discomfort. "*…We thought that it might be rain that comes from the surface, but I remember dad saying the head scientist theorised it was an underground spring." She explained, her tone dipping deeper into sentimentality.

"*Further in though is when it gets good… there are marshes, and the still waters there _glow_ a bright blue! There are special-blue flowers that when you _speak_ near them, will repeat what you said for as long as they grow, which can be far longer than most monsters live! Me and Asriel used to play near them sometimes, and when we'd _shout_ , they'd _all_ start shouting back! It was… great…funny…"

The girl seemed to withdraw after finishing, becoming silent. She frowned, her eyes trained ahead, though she saw anything but the road. Frisk watched this happen with a sinking feeling in his heart. It sounded like they'd be treading on the past, Asriel…

The thought of him set Frisk's teeth on edge. How is it that Chara's adoptive brother could turn into someone like Flowey? With what little the boy knew, he could tell that Asriel was _nothing_ like he is now. What happened to him when they enacted the plan? Aside from the fact she was technically dead, Chara seemed to be somewhat level-headed, albeit lacking some memories, and despite her so-called 'plans'.

It was something he knew she couldn't, or wouldn't answer yet. But, he still wanted to find about him. What he was like. Just how different he is now.

Similar notions crept and swam through his head, it was all he could do to snap his eyes from hers and train them back on the path. Desperately, he tried what he thought was a safe question.

"What did you talk about? You and Asriel… What did you say to the flowers?" Frisk asked tentatively, frowning.

Chara turned to him, spotting his expression… and his protruded lips. Her breath hitched, and she looked back forward, thinking of the answer. "*W-well, we'd normally just say childish things… but sometimes, we'd leave messages for travellers. You know, help. Asriel would try and tell jokes to make them laugh, say nice things… whereas I…"

At her pause, Frisk managed the gumption to turn back to her, nodding whilst cocking an eyebrow. He didn't say anything, not trusting his voice. Chara seemed to struggle, like she was chewing her tongue- her eyes darting to and fro as if there was something menacing before them.

Finally, her eyes settled upon something in the distance, and she scowled, though not fiercely. She turned back to him, fists clenched and bearing this same expression, unimpeded by his surprise or her inward uncertainty.

In that moment Frisk thought she looked more resolute than he had ever seen her.

"*I told them that one day, they would all leave this prison forever. That they'd see the real stars, feel the real breeze. That they'd take back their rightful place… All they had to do was _stay determined_."

Shocked out of his stupor by her proud words, Frisk felt his head clear for the first time that morning. _This_ is what they needed to do. He schooled his shocked features into one to match hers, firmly grasping her hand.

The warmth was still there, but for now, he was no longer set on edge by it. He relished it.

"The plan… We're gonna free everyone, and _nobody_ is going to be left behind. Right, Chara?" The boy said, coaxing a small smile out of his partner.

She didn't know how, but as long as they both stayed like this… the thought of the distant future with Frisk didn't seem so bad. They would find a way. Even to help Asriel… she was certain they could do it.

They continued talking like this, offering encouragement, smiles and musing on the road ahead. It was just as they were getting mere inches away from one another that Frisk walked face-first into Sans. The boy fell backward, stumbling, but the eerily smiling skeleton did not recoil a millimetre.

"not to bore the amour but… we're almost there." Came the jarring yet dull voice of Sans. As both children recovered from the sudden interruption, they gazed past the skeleton to discover that indeed they were almost there. He wasn't lying.

What before seemed to be an unnerving dark portal, its menace diminished by the distance, was now a terrifyingly huge _maw_. The broken grey stone-edges framing the entrance reminded Frisk uncomfortably of teeth, and the pitch black within…

Neither Sans or Chara seemed perturbed by it, though neither were ignorant of the boy's nervousness, smiling at him. They understood.

The skeleton piped up first, winking. "don't worry bud, it's just a dark, winding tunnel full of fearsome monsters and skeletons."

At this, Chara glared at Sans, who looked rather pleased with himself. Frisk however, to their surprise, giggled.

"It's funny… thinking about it, before that would be a very scary thing to hear. But now…" The boy breathed, his eyes twinkling. Both of the others nodded happily, Sans taking the opportunity to direct a smug grin in Chara's direction, which she ignored.

"*That's right! And… you're not going in alone, are you? You've got me and the comedian here!" Chirped Chara, who stepped toward Frisk and recaptured his hand. Once again, they individually ignored their unidentifiable inhibitions, grinning at each other and walking with Sans forward once more. This time, they all walked together.

As they crossed the threshold, the light about them becoming dimmer, one thought pervaded Frisk's mind. One that pushed aside his latent fear of the dark, and the confusion about his partner.

"What does 'amour' mean?"

"*…Don't worry about it Fri-!"

"… **well** buddy, i'm glad you asked! now, it means when a lady and a man lov-!"

The sound of bones clattering against rock could be heard all the way back in Snowdin.

* * *

-S-

His ankle still ached from where she had tripped him up.

To be fair, he did deserve it, and it was worth seeing her face devolve in abject embarrassment as he began explaining. Clearly, Chara knew her terminology. The girl hadn't given him long before she pounced, cutting his 'explanation' short.

This pain though… it was an uncomfortable reminder of how fragile he really was, in spite of his abilities.

Sans would _never_ display this though. There was only one other person who knew, and they recognised it wasn't something to be _tested_. As such, the skeleton resumed his nonchalant façade as the trio walked into Waterfall.

Expectedly, Chara seemed tense, her expression and posture tight as she nearly _pulled_ Frisk along. The boy was bewildered, though after the display from his partner he didn't dare ask his question again, and they moved along in silence.

They walked for what Sans guessed was only for a further fifteen minutes before the light filtering in from the entrance became much too insufficient for Frisk, and he halted.

"I-is there any way we could… l don't know… do something so we can see? I don't… I don't…-" Stuttered Frisk, who was waving apprehensively in the direction of the tunnel. To the boy, it seemed impossibly dark for a tunnel monsters used on a regular basis!

Chara turned to Sans, raising a brow at him. He raised an eyebrow-ridge right back at her. "*I'm guessing you didn't bring any light-stones with you." She groused, guffawing in disgust when he didn't immediately respond.

Sans was frozen, thinking fast. Normally, monsters that traversed through Waterfall would carry something to light their path, often a light-stone taken from the very cavern they would need it for. Or, they were like himself and Papyrus, who didn't need the additional light source; either their eyesight was sufficient to pierce through the gloom, or they had _other_ methods.

There was nothing for it. They would piece it together eventually anyway, and the lazy skeleton was _not_ about to walk all the way back to Snowdin.

"fine, wait here a sec."

He heard them calling for him to wait as he moved quickly into the shadows. It wouldn't do for them to see his _shortcut_ now, would it?

* * *

-O-

"Sans! Come back!"

Frisk's strained cry echoed throughout the tunnel, the sound falling only on his partner's ears. The boy had moved forward, reaching his unclasped hand out toward the skeleton as he was taken by the blackness.

Chara had moved with him, similarly bewildered by Sans' strange behaviour. He had reacted in a most unexpected way to her words, vanishing into the dark. ' _*This is_ not _what I meant Sans!'_ The girl thought, peering around, trying to spot where he might have gone.

Once again the skeleton had exceeded Chara's continual re-evaluation of him; Sans always moved in an imprecise manner, with heavy footfalls and a rather sluggish, clumsy manner. Of course, he had proven to have some strange, _mysterious_ quirks about him that the girl could not explain, but this…

She couldn't even hear his footsteps, despite the fact the two children had stopped moving. It was as if he had completely _vanished_.

Frisk had halted just shy of the utter darkness, reluctant to follow when there was absolutely no indication of where their friend had gone, or what the path ahead was like. Chara forced her deepening scowl into a lopsided smile as the boy turned to her, a look of abject worry crossing his features.

"Chara… what do we do? He's… Sans has…" Frisk stuttered, his voice petering out as he wrapped his arms around himself, pinching the fabric of his borrowed jacket. He didn't understand, eyes darting about the girl's face as if it would give him the answer.

Smirking and moving toward him, Chara attempted to make light of the situation, despite her growing apprehension. "*Well I always knew you had a good eye Frisk! Didn't he say he'd be back in a second?" She said jokily, the slight dig having its intended effect on the boy, who pouted.

Ignorant to the consequence his reaction had on his partner, Frisk turned back to the darkness, peering outward. "But… how can he see? How is he going to be back so quickly if he's bringing us some light?"

She couldn't think of an answer. She had no idea, and with what he just said…

There was a slight undertone to the boy's voice. Something familiar to her. She could see it in his slightly hunched-over posture, arms tight around himself. As she expected, Frisk called out once more into the dark for Sans…

But nobody came.

As his voice echoed, she watched as he stood there, staring forward, his concern developing into something more akin to resignation. He did not call again, instead steadily shifting his gaze to the filthy ground.

She couldn't let him feel like this, not now.

Swallowing thickly, Chara boldly moved toward her partner, encircling him from behind with her arms. As she did so, she felt him tense, and then slowly relax as she continued to hold him, her forehead resting on his right shoulder.

Speaking into his jacket, she clenched her hands as Frisk placed his palms over them, squeezing tightly. "*Let's just believe what he says for now… Besides, if he doesn't… we'll just have to walk back to Snowdin and grab some light-stones… and _ask_ him about it later. Don't worry about it!"

Observing no further noticeable reaction from the boy for several moments, Chara thought for a moment that she had perhaps taken too daring a step, or had said something wrong. Relaxing her embrace, she attempted to step backward, but was held fast by Frisk gripping tighter to her hands.

"Thank you… Chara…" Was all that the boy mumbled, heavy as his tone was. Lifting her head to look at him, she was graced with a full vision of his conflicted expression, staring right back at her. Despite her growing trepidation, she managed a smile, watching as he slowly responded with a shaky one of his own.

Chara knew that they would manage, escort or not. They were strong enough, determined enough together. Even if Sans did not return, they would get through this just as they did the Ruins, and the path up to Snowdin.

Together.

Besides, having an excuse to take the wannabe comedian down a peg or two was welcomed in her book.

Watching interestedly as something began to flicker across Frisk's expression, Chara felt something build inside her as they stood there. _'*That feeling again… what…'_ She mused numbly as they both continued to stare.

Her breath hitched as it became heavy, her body frozen. What was happening? She had to do _something_ , say _anything_ … but no words would come. Just as Chara felt like she could burst, she opened her mouth to ask the boy…

"sup."

Well it didn't matter now. What did matter was that she punched the interloping skeleton right in his grinning face.

As the children split apart swiftly, Chara clumsily recovered her bearings, still flush with the previous moment and moving to do just that. Lunging and swinging her fist toward Sans with a snarl, she ignored the strange heat to her left as the object of her ire merely stepped sideways, causing her to stumble past him.

Failing to regain her balance, Chara instinctively managed to place her flailing arms before her to catch her fall, her palms grazing against the rough, gritty floor. Quickly rolling over, the girl glanced at her hands, grimacing at the scrapes she had taken, and wiping them carefully onto the glistening floor of the cave.

It was then that she realised, returning her startled gaze upward.

"S-Sans! M-Mister Grillby! W-Wha… Y-y-you?!" Frisk babbled, on the cusp of hyperventilating from fright. Chara, spotting the redness colouring his face, shoved down her uncertainty and scrambled toward the boy to support him. As much as they might trust their company… she wouldn't leave her partner to struggle alone.

"hey there kid. told ya i wouldn't be long… though it sure looks like you couldn't wait more than two minutes before you got _frisky_ with-"

Thankfully, the companion Sans had brought along interrupted his self-satisfied jab before both children could _scream_ in unison.

" _Sans, when you told me you needed my help with something, I did_ not _think it would be here. In Waterfall. It would therefore be prudent to explain what you need me for, then I would like to be back in Snowdin. Now please."_ Chara heard the fire-elemental hiss, ignorant to what Sans was talking about in favour of looking around nervously, fixated on each water droplet that would fall near him. She reached Frisk's side and grasped his quivering hands, all the time keeping her eyes on the new arrival despite hearing her partner gasp.

The skeleton reluctantly turned to his friend and sighed, pulling something dark out of his pockets. "i need you to light us up grillbz." Sans explained tiredly. Grillby stiffly turned and faced the stout monster, for all intents and purposes _glaring_ at him.

" _No Sans. I am not walking with you and your friend all the way through Waterfall. No favour is worth_ that." Grillby asserted sternly, to which the skeleton put up his arms in surrender, shaking his head with an expression of surprise.

"whoa, take it easy bud! i didn't mean you had to walk with us, i just meant i needed you to light _these_." Sans clarified in a disarming tone, holding up the strangely shaped objects from his pockets. Surprised, Chara thought they looked rather like…

" _Sans, these are Doggo's treats._ " Deadpanned the elemental, to which the skeleton shrugged nonchalantly. He gestured the objects toward his friend. _This_ is what he had planned to light their path?! The girl felt a growl grow in her throat, even as Frisk turned to her in worry, unknowing of the current circumstances given he could only understand half of it.

"well, for one doggo needs to kick the habit anyway. second, these make a decent light, and i don't have any light-stones. me and frisk need to get through waterfall, so it'd be really handy if you just lit these for us bud."

Grillby looked between Sans, who had his arms splayed out in his trademark shrug, and Frisk, whom he seemed to narrow what passed for his eyes at. Feeling defensive at the elemental's glare, Chara instinctively tried to move between Frisk and the bartender before he sighed, and shook his flaming head.

" _Fine. Pass them here… this is going on your tab Sans._ " Sighed Grillby, grasping two of the objects from Sans' outstretched hand.

Both children watched with curiosity as the elemental brought each treat before his face, seeming to slowly breathe sparks out onto them, setting them alight individually. Sans meanwhile spluttered indignantly.

"huh?! c'mon grillbz, not one tiny little favour instead for your old pal sans?" Handing both makeshift torches to Frisk, who took them with shakily pronounced words of thanks, Grillby pivoted and advanced toward Sans quickly.

"You _still owe me for the incident with the Lesser Dogs and the bone powder. This is going on your tab whether you like it or not_." Impossibly, Sans' eye-sockets seemed to go dark at his friends' words, his skull-head seeming to pale beyond white.

Watching with amusement as Sans seemed to shudder, Chara piped up, knowing that although Grillby would not hear her, it would unbalance the skeleton. She wouldn't pass up this opportunity for a little _revenge_ after earlier!

"*Bone powder? The Lesser Dogs? Oh we _have_ to hear this! Ask him Frisk!" She insisted to her partner, whose hands she had relinquished so that he could hold the torches. So now she was instead lightly shaking him by the torso.

Despite not knowing what was said, and his growing blush, Frisk blinked and did what she asked. "W-what do you mean by that Mister Grillby? Bone powder?" He asked innocently, despite Sans waving his hands desperately to try and dissuade him.

Too late. Whirling back to face the boy with an inquisitive expression, Grillby elaborated. " _I did not know you could understand me, human. Very well… Sans had left crushed up powder from his broken bone attacks on my bar counter one night several years ago… he had meant to leave them with me to see if I could repair them… but the Lesser Dog vanguard arrived for their evening drinks before we could move them. At the sight and smell of it… they got so excited… and with Lesser Dogs being what they are… There were so many holes in the roof of my bar that it took_ months _to repair."_

At the end of his regretful story, Chara proceeded to howl with laughter, which confused an unaware Frisk, and caused Sans to act swiftly.

"we're going now. thanks a _million_ grillbz." Groused the skeleton as he grabbed his friend's hand. Both children had but a second to glimpse his left eye flash blue before both he and the elemental disappeared into thin air.

* * *

-S-

Sans arrived back moments later, catching the tail-end of Chara shakily recounting Grillby's story to her partner. Once she had finished, they had begun to giggle together; the girl delightedly so, whilst Frisk was quieter and more concerned… though there was definitely the element of precious childish mirth to his chuckles.

Watching them both for a moment as they laughed and leaned on each other, seemingly ignorant to his presence, Sans merely stood there and smiled. _'hey, they're entitled to some laughs after what i did, besides… it looks like they both really needed it.'_ He mused, allowing them to chatter.

Eventually though the boy caught sight of him, and had the good grace to look a little sheepish. Chara, following her partner's gaze when he stopped tittering with her grinned smugly instead.

Payback the skeleton figured, after breaking up whatever _moment_ the two were having earlier. He returned Chara's expression with a disarming grin of his own, which seemed to diminish hers ever so slightly.

"so, we ready? i brought two of those, one for each of you. chara, you might wanna try and see if you can hold onto one, otherwise it might be best to save one for when the other gets low." Sans advised, maintaining his casual tone.

"Sans… what are these anyway? Chara said that Grillby thought these were… treats? They look like little dogs..." Frisk asked tentatively as he carefully passed one of the crude torches to Chara, who fumbled with it for a while before asserting a sure grip. Both smiled at each other before turning back to Sans, who watched with mild amusement.

"grillby said that because that's what they are. from what i hear, they're like catnip… except you set them alight. they won't do anything for us three though… as for why they're shaped like that… well i guess it's why they're called… _hot dogs_." Sans explained wittily, bending the truth ever so slightly. At Chara's groan and Frisk's hiss, his grin widened in pleasure.

Moments later the trio were walking back down the tunnel, Frisk far more confident now he could see where he was going. The boy had thanked the skeleton for retrieving the light sources, to which with all the grace he had, Sans shrugged and said "not a problem buddy. you just owe me five thousand gold."

At Frisk's horrified expression, and Chara's snarl, Sans just shook his head and chortled. "just kidding frisk. it's what friends do, right?" At this statement, both children recovered, looked at each other and smiling, though only the boy regarded him, nodding gently. The girl looked down, though for what reason the skeleton could only guess.

As it was, they continued on in relative silence, only the occasional question from Frisk breaking the serenity. Thankfully, the heavy, awkward atmosphere from before was gone, and Sans noted that the distance he had provided them with earlier had done the trick he intended. He walked beside Frisk, who was between him and Chara. The two were holding hands as before, though there seemed to be that much less space between them.

Sans watched this out of the corner of his eye with relatively well-veiled glee. ' _i wonder if they'll ever realise…_ ' He mused, entertaining the thought in his head. With the strange circumstance he had discovered the other night between the two humans, he wouldn't put it past it bearing fruit. Stranger things had happened.

Like how he and his brother were here at all.

Before his deep reminiscence could develop further, Frisk piped up as something became clearer in the distance. "Sans… Chara… what is that?" He asked curiously, only the barest hint of tension playing on his tone.

The tunnel behind them had declined slightly as they proceeded downward- the dim light from the entrance was no-longer noticeable, the only source being the orange light from the children's torches, and an eerie blue from the path ahead.

It was this which Frisk had spotted. Chara decided to answer before Sans could, and she seemed to swell steadily in pride as the boy afforded her his full attention.

"*It marks the real beginning of Waterfall. Remember how I told you that the water there _glows_? That there are beautiful crystals in the ceiling too that provide light, like back in the Ruins and Snowdin? Well it's the same here… it gets brighter the further we go, don't worry!" Chirped the girl, assuaging her partner who smiled at her.

Noticing something that neither of the children had spotted however, Sans rolled his eyes at the scene of the two grinning goofily at each other, and interjected also. "there's one thing extra that you're forgetting though."

Both Chara and Frisk snapped out of their reverie and turned to him, the former with an expression of puzzlement whilst the latter bore the slight twinge of anxiety. "W-what would that be, Sans?" The boy asked apprehensively.

Sans merely pointed his thumb down the tunnel, not breaking eye contact with Frisk.

"him."

Momentarily bewildered by the strange, uninformative answer, the children looked back down the tunnel with surprise as an increasingly loud rattling sound reverberated up the cave.

Noting his partner suddenly sigh in relief, Frisk, still unsure of what was happening decided to turn to her for answers, tugging on the hand he was grasping. "Chara… what is that?"

"SANS! FRISK! MY BELOVED _COMPANIONS_! IT IS I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, COMING TO MEET YOU!"

Chara, who had initially opened her mouth to answer, instead proceeded to deadpan at Frisk, who had relaxed and was now peering at the path ahead for the source of the voice. "*…That answer your question?" She drawled.

Seeming to realise something however, she shook her head and hissed toward the short skeleton, her teeth gritted. "*Sans!"

Putting two and two together, Sans quickly moved over behind her, taking the torch she was wavering and snuffing it quickly. It was a relief that one of them had realised- he wasn't sure he was quite prepared to explain the levitating torch to his excitable brother.

Frisk, ignorant of the averted near-disaster behind him, perked up eagerly as the tall skeleton brother arrived into his vision. "Papyrus!" He exclaimed happily, to which said person picked up his pace to a near sprint, skidding to a halt mere inches from the boy's face moments later.

"GREETINGS MY FRIEND! I TRUST YOU HAVE NOT MISSED ME TOO MUCH? I KNOW… IT MUST BE HARD TO GO ON WITHOUT MY GREAT SUPPORT! NYEH-HEH-HEH!" Announced Papyrus as he leaned down to the boy's level, ruffling his hair with a gloved hand.

Despite wincing slightly as his still sore head was rubbed, Frisk managed a large, beaming smile for his friend, speaking honestly. "Of course I missed you Papyrus! I'm glad to see you again!"

Although it had been only hours since they had all been together last, Frisk's infectious attitude made it seem like it had been a far longer time-period. All four present looked between themselves with a smile, relieved and contented for this moment in the otherwise terrifyingly dark and oppressing cave.

* * *

-X-

"…SO WHY ARE YOU CARRYING A DOG TREAT FRISK? AND WHY IS IT ON FIRE? IS IT PERHAPS… TO WARM YOUR HANDS? BECAUSE I CAN LEND A PAIR OF MY GLOVES INSTEAD! THEY'RE FAR MORE COMFORTABLE!"

After a few moments of excitable greeting, in which the three arrivals were regaled on a tale of immense courage, stressing worthiness to making Royal Guard, Papyrus had decided that he was 'the expedition leader', and would be leading from then onward. As it was, he currently marched slightly ahead of the group… backwards so he could talk to both Sans and Frisk. Chara, being invisible to the tall skeleton shadowed closely behind her partner, who was currently fixated in a mixture of concern and awe at their leader's antics.

The boy was puzzled by Papyrus' curious question however; how could he not discern why the light was required? ' _Did he walk… all the way here without a torch?!_ ' Frisk mused for a moment, before shaking his head and dismissing the ludicrous notion.

He couldn't help but think though… Sans hadn't even thought to bring torches initially… and Papyrus had made his way back to them without one…

"We… I need the light to see Papyrus… It's too dark without it…" Frisk responded uncertainly, one brow slightly raised. The skeleton reciprocated with as blank a look as he could manage, before frowning.

"EH? YOU MEAN _YOU_ CAN'T… US SKELETONS CAN SEE JUST FINE IN THIS TUNNEL! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU NEED A LITTLE DINKY TORCH JUST TO _SEE!_ HOW DO YOU HUMANS EVEN _MANAGE_?!" Papyrus yelled in disbelief, the sheer volume of it making the three nearest recipients wince.

Listening to the skeleton's voice echo around, Frisk's eyes widened as he digested the information. An odd thought coursed through his mind- If they could see perfectly in the dark, what would it be like when they saw the sun on the surface?

The boy's fantastical thought was derailed by Sans piping up derisively beside him. "yo, could you _speak_ any louder paps? i don't think the entire underground quite heard ya." At this, his taller brother huffed, his eyes beginning to pop out of their sockets as Frisk had observed they often did with the short skeleton around.

"I WAS ASKING ONLY FRISK, SANS! BUT CLEARLY, IF HUMAN EYES ARE SO INADEQUATE THAT THEY CANNOT SEE IN HERE OF ALL PLACES, THEN THEIR HEARING MUST BE POOR TOO! I AM SO SORRY I HAVE BEEN SPEAKING SO QUIETLY THIS WHOLE TIME FRISK! _DOES THIS SOUND BETTER?! CAN YOU HEAR ME MY INSENSATE FRIEND?!"_ Papyrus had leaned forward toward the boy, and his shouting had increased to ear-splitting levels. Both Frisk and Chara instinctively covered their ears at the volume, screwing their eyelids shut.

"*Frisk! Make him stop! _Please!_ " The boy thought he heard his partner whine behind him, though he couldn't be certain with the deafening ringing bouncing around inside his head. Against his gut instinct, the boy wrenched his hands from his ears and reached toward Papyrus pleadingly.

"S-stop Papyrus, you don't need to shout so loudly… you were speaking just fine before… please…" He whimpered, unable to clearly hear whether he had correctly pronounced the words. Frisk reasoned it must have worked though, or at least his pained expression gave it away as Papyrus' stare turned sheepish.

"I… ERR… DO… WHAT ARE _YOU_ LAUGHING AT SANS?! YOU MADE ME DO THIS!" Spluttered the tall skeleton, pointing accusingly at his snickering brother. At his words, Sans walked forward and past them all, looking over his shoulder with a wink.

"seems your older bro has still got it." He remarked smugly, turning back to the path and waving his left arm dismissively. As his chortling renewed, Papyrus huffed once again indignantly and marched to his brother's side, keeping pace as he railed at him.

As the siblings ahead of them bickered, Frisk and Chara started to follow behind in silence, the light from the torch outlining the skeletons and the area around them.

The boy did not jump as the girl moved up beside him once more, placing her hand in his free one, but he twitched involuntarily anyway.

Ever since that moment before Sans had brought Grillby… the nervous feeling permeating through his stomach had intensified into strange _heat_. And now, as Chara held onto him once again, the feeling was renewed.

Having looked at her then, and glancing at her now, the boy _knew_ she felt something as well. He couldn't take it much longer; he'd have to ask her soon if she knew what it meant. It was driving him crazy!

It took all Frisk's willpower to keep his gaze focused and his quivering lips sealed, moving forward. So much so that he didn't notice how the surroundings seemed to brighten with an eerie blue gloom, nor how the tunnel seemed to widen, a second passage appearing ahead. Or that close by, the sound of rushing water could be heard.

He only snapped out of this when Chara squeezed his hand forcefully, whispering something harshly to him. "*Frisk! Wake up! Sans and Papyrus are looking at you!" Blinking and shaking his head, he glanced at her insistent expression and then back to the skeletons, who he noticed were indeed both silent and watching him out of the corner of their eyes.

Sans was bearing a smug grin the boy noticed he seemed to wear lately whenever he was holding hands with Chara, but his eyes… They were concerned. Glancing at Papyrus, he could see he too was concerned, though it was far more evident.

"I-Is everything alright?" Frisk stammered, gulping as both skeletons looked at each other and halted in the path, finally turning back to the boy.

Papyrus spoke first, an inscrutable expression on his face. "I UH… WE… THERE'S A FRIEND WE NEED TO TALK TO… YOU SEE… SHE UH…" The boy's eyebrows rose in bewilderment at the skeleton's unusually reticent tone, to which Sans stepped forward, shaking his head and sighing.

"what paps is _trying_ to say is that we need to go meet our boss as part of our job. alone. it just so happened that we were both going the same way you were right now. capiche?" The short skeleton spoke with a slightly tighter voice than normal, Frisk spotting that Chara realised it too as she scowled beside him.

"*And when were you planning on telling us this? What are you up to Sans…?" She growled lowly, though with the present company the person in question did not even grace her words with a glance.

Frisk shook his head vigorously, his eyes wide. "Why do you have go though? Surely we can meet up again… right? Why didn't you tell me this while we were walking…?" The boy's multitude of upset questions seemed to make Papyrus flinch, though he never took his eyes off the boy. Sans merely stood there, his ever-present grin now more of a grimace.

"HEY, WE'LL BE AROUND! MAYBE WE WILL MEET UP AGAIN LATER! …RIGHT SANS?" Papyrus exclaimed with some force, moving forward and slapping quite hard down on Sans' shoulder. The action did not make his brother flinch, though it did seem to motivate him into smiling once more.

"of course kid, we'll keep our eyesockets out for ya, don't sweat it." Sans assured, winking. There was an edge to his tone that unnerved Frisk, but he tried a smile, moving forward to one-arm hug the short skeleton.

As he did so, there was the unmistakeable flatulent sound of multiple whoopee cushions simultaneously squashed underneath Sans' coat, the sound making all present chuckle slightly, save for Papyrus, who groaned. The short skeleton just grinned and winked when Frisk looked him in the eye, smiling weakly.

"Promise we'll _all_ meet again?" The boy whimpered, looking between both brothers, which prompted Papyrus to move in also and rest his hands on the boy's shoulders.

"IT'S A PROMISE MY FRIEND! YOU CAN COUNT ON US!" At these unusually soft words, Frisk looked up at Papyrus, then back to Sans, and relinquished himself from his hug, moving backward next to Chara, who put her hand on his shoulder.

"So then… this isn't farewell… that's good! I-I hope I see you both soon then… I guess I'll… try to make up some more ground in the meantime!" Feeling Chara's hand squeeze throughout his speech, Frisk felt stronger, more certain. He schooled his anxious expression into a determined stare, to which both Papyrus and Sans seemed to grin back at, and nod.

"we're rooting for ya kid, of course you will. now we do have to go… but you _will_ see us again. catch you later frisk."

"SEE YOU SOON FRISK! I RECKON WE MIGHT BUMP INTO EACH OTHER AGAIN SOON, KNOWING OUR LUCK! NYEH-HEH-HEH!"

Not much more was said as Frisk waved them off, Papyrus looking back a few times before the darkness enveloped them out of sight, despite the increased light of the surroundings.

They stood there for several long, silent moments, Frisk thinking quickly about what had just happened. As before, they were alone. He wasn't sure he liked it, having just made good friends with them.

Chara's fingers snapped before his face after a while however, and he felt her other hand come to rest in his free one once more. "*Earth to Frisk… Looks like it's just the dream team again huh? What do you say partner? I dunno how long that torch of yours is gonna last… and I'd wanna be further in, where it's brighter before then."

He turned to look at her then, an unreadable expression on his face as his thoughts turned to her. Before long her quizzical look developed into one of shame, which confused the boy greatly.

"*I'm sorry Frisk…" She murmured, her voice low. He squeezed her hand, his attention fully on the girl.

"W-Whatever for Chara?!" He stammered. Frisk couldn't fathom what _she_ had done that needed apologising for.

She sighed. "*Because… we had it going good, we made a couple of nice new friends, but we need to keep going without them… for now at least… and we're back at square one…" At this, the boy moved forward and hugged her as best he could with his free arm. Despite the broiling feeling, he was certain on what he would say next.

"But… we have each other right? Nothing can stop us two! …We'll make it to your dad and then we can free everyone, so we won't have to leave them again!" Frisk stated determinedly, which prompted Chara to look at him in shock. This quickly developed into her trademark lopsided grin however, and she nodded.

"*That's right Frisk! And though they're gone for now… you know they've still got our backs… you did good partner!" She responded positively, flushing as he pouted at her words.

" _We_ did good Chara… it was the both of us who got here…" Frisk chided softly. Seeing her eyes begin to glisten in the dark, and unsure on the feeling it evoked within him, the boy moved back from her slowly, though he did not relinquish her hand.

For a moment Chara stood there with her mouth slightly open, before she renewed her grin twice-fold, her rosy cheeks dimpling with the expression. "*Right…! Well, what do you say then Frisk? Shall we?" She chirped, cocking her head down the path.

With naught but a few seconds more of exchanged smiles, the girl and boy continued hand in hand deeper into Waterfall.

* * *

-S-

As they walked along the shortcut tunnel toward the meeting place, Sans _heard_ the captain before he spotted her.

Even if _he_ hadn't noticed the rhythmic clanging of metal in the distance, the rapidly increasing nervous tension rolling off his brother would have served as equal notification.

As Papyrus was growing up, he and Undyne had been the best of friends, always catching each other's backs, training, supporting… everything. It meant a lot to Sans to see this despite her _attitude_ , for his now-taller brother had before then struggled to make friends with anybody.

They trusted one another, despite their… _differences_ in certain manners. This was not why Papyrus was nervous however.

One thing that Undyne had taken seriously to such a degree it overrode her own best friend, was her duty as the captain of the Royal Guard; she even initially refused Papyrus' entrance on the grounds that his outlook was the exact _opposite_ to what was required of the post.

As it was, she was teaching him to cook as part of his 'training' in her spare time, though Sans knew it was truthfully part-due to her owing something to her friend in trying to find him another profession. It was a thinly-veiled fact that Undyne did not think Papyrus was suitable.

If only she knew.

As it was though, both of the skeletons had to act deferent to her in the upcoming meeting. Given what Papyrus had told him… it would be difficult, if not impossible to dissuade Undyne from giving chase after the kids.

Rounding the last corner, they were greeted with the sight of a hulking, fierce suit of armour pacing next to a small, bubbling spring in the ground. Unperturbed, both skeletons approached, slowing as the figure finally noticed their presence, turning to them.

To their surprise, and Papyrus' gulp, the figure began to march toward the duo with a cacophony of clanging metal.

Undyne.

Her armour gleamed in the darkness, even in-spite of the dark colour of its metal, polished as it was. Steel plates covered the body within, the intimidating helmet, complete with the appearance of sharp teeth and furious eyeholes just exuded the serious aura its owner always tried to maintain on duty.

To top it off, her yellow eye could be seen glinting from within the right eye-hole, the other completely dark. A blood-red ponytail protruded out of the gap at the top of the helm, looking almost like a centurion's crest. All in all, to those not in the know, she made for a very menacing figure, something she fought to assert even on the two before her.

"Papyrus. Sans. Give me your report; where is the human?" She hissed, coming to a screeching halt in front of them both.

Sans watched as his brother struggled with his words. It was him she usually addressed whenever they would meet, not that it bothered him in the slightest- it meant he could take it easy as he liked to do. On this occasion however…

"WELL… HE… HE'S NOT HERE… BECAUSE, YOU SEE…" Papyrus stammered, his words halting as Undyne took a loud footstep toward him.

"I can see that Papyrus. I'm asking where he is _now_. Did you fight him? …Kill him?" Undyne pressed hard, her voice curt. The tall skeleton looked shocked at her insinuation, but kept his speech under control.

"WELL OF COURSE I FOUGHT HIM! …BUT YOU SEE… I DON'T THINK…"

"…You lost."

Papyrus looked away in shame, though his eyes said anything but. He was unhappy for a different reason. "I… WELL YES, BUT YOU SEE I DON'T THINK WE NEED TO FIGHT OR HURT HIM! YOU SEE UNDYNE-!" He was interrupted by his friend's scoff.

"So you're telling me… you couldn't match up to one lousy little _kid_?! Ngaah! I'll handle him myself! Where is he?!" She snarled, pivoting away from Papyrus. She waited for his response, impatiently tapping and clanging her foot.

This time, Sans interjected for his brother, seeing Papyrus look conflicted between telling the truth to his friend, even though it might certainly get his new one in trouble.

"he's gone _way,_ way ahead. if you go now, you might catch him next week." He said cheekily. As expected, Undyne swivelled and approached him threateningly. Pity for her the act didn't work on him.

"You mean you _helped_ him get ahead? Without telling me?! This could be cause for charging you both with treason… You know we need him! He's the last one! Why would you let him go?!" She nearly yelled, the helmet amplifying her voice to an uncomfortably ear-splitting reminder of earlier.

"so what if we did? he means no harm, and he's our friend. besides… you're not doing a good job standing here chewing us out for it now are you?" Sans remarked, the test on Undyne's patience finally making her growl beneath her mask.

"That's the only worthwhile thing I've heard you say. Now move it, I have our future to secure, with or without your uselessness." As she said this, Sans stepped out of her way as she marched on past him and down the tunnel they came from, quickly disappearing out of view.

Looking up at his brother, as the noise from her armour quickly diminished, he noted both the look of shame… and rebelliousness on his face. He felt a sly grin steadily grow, and he narrowed his eyes.

"pap… are you thinking what i'm thinking?" Though Sans had murmured quietly, Papyrus heard it clearly, turning to him with his expression shifting to that of determination. He nodded.

"THOUGH I DO NOT WANT TO GO AGAINST UNDYNE… I CAN'T LET HER HURT FRISK… LET'S GO SANS… WE NEED TO HELP HIM!" As the tall skeleton finished saying this, he began jogging down the path Undyne went, his posture far less clumsy than usual.

Sans closed his eyes and shook his head, chuckling tiredly under his breath.

"they really do grow up fast, don't they?"

Opening his eyes, a flash of blue light accompanied with a faint zipping sound were the only indication that Sans had once again used his shortcut, keeping up with his brother.

The chase was on.

* * *

-X-

 **A/N** : Um… hi.

It's been a while hasn't it? It was… difficult to get this chapter finished, and I'm afraid this doesn't mean a return to the old precedent- my life has gotten that much more complicated, though I can assure you I'm paying as much attention to the story as I can. To put it bluntly, I've hit a little writer's block… and some things have just happened to me… I don't even know how I got this chapter finished so _soon_. Don't expect this submission to be a return to the old 'one every three days'… But I _can_ promise that this story is very much alive.

Speaking of which, if you are so inclined you can check out my other Undertale story on my profile which is in progress. It _loosely_ ties into this… but it is in the very early stages as of now. It will be updated intermittently alongside this story.

Anyway… I've got a lot of thanks to give! Here goes, for those that reviewed: BadTimesNewRoman, Congie, _five_ Guests, Altair the black dragon, MODdenial, The Amazing Anigirl, MisterHalt, FlightOfTheHerons, CVLTheDragonSlayer, TheEmeraldQueen, PhoenixCaptain, allen Vth, pikachewy1, Rabbherself, Akayuki Novak, jack hopper, no-one and Me3e3e. Thank you all so much for reviewing, and thank you to those who favorited and followed!  
Special thanks to FlightOfTheHerons, allen Vth, ConGie and Akayuki Novak for their discussions with me!

Above all, I have to thank RoxasConan for her in-depth ideas and persistence. And finally PhoenixCaptain for _her_ ideas, motivation, second-checking and…


	24. Prismatic

Chapter Twenty-Four – Prismatic

-U-

She moved through the cave, lithe and swift. Coursing relentlessly through the labyrinth to find her quarry.

The _human_.

The quarry that if caught… if offered to her king… would mean the realisation of all her people's hopes, their dreams. Everything they desired and deserved, deprived only because of mankind's _cowardice_.

Thoughts of the humans coursed through her mind like fire through dry grass- nothing incensed her more. For years she had been under the tutelage of the king, had learned what she could from her friend's archives. The sense of duty that endlessly drove her had reached its peak _today_ ; when Sans told her that he and Papyrus had set the human off ahead…

Her blood boiled. Her strength renewed. They were so _close!_

Even the concern about Papyrus did not hamper her pace, though it certainly lingered. Why, when he was so _eager_ to make her proud, was he almost defiant… about _this_? That the hopeful skeleton would notify her about the human, only to turn around and _help_ the hateful creature…

She remembered this, from Alphys' texts. Some humans had the ability to charm their foes, turning them into friends… and thus against their own kin.

The thought of this made her even angrier at the human. She would save Papyrus from this spell. She would even save his incorrigible brother. She would make all their dreams a reality, make her mentor truly proud.

As the clanging footfalls of her armour resounded throughout Waterfall, there was one thing for certain, in spite of the disappointment in her best friend.

Undyne would _never_ give up.

* * *

-X-

It hadn't taken long for Frisk to become anxious.

Even though he had been flush with confidence just moments prior, buoyed by his partner's presence beside him and the impassioned promises of his skeletal friends, he was afraid.

Afraid of the road ahead. The oppressive dark. That at any moment, Chara might leave him all alone in the now pitch-black tunnels to die.

Such paranoid thoughts lingered always in one form or another in his mind, ever since he had managed to cling onto his best friend. An expectation of previous loneliness, unbearable given where and _how_ he now was.

He couldn't help himself. Before he fell into the Underground, Frisk had been all alone. There had been fleeting times of companionship, whether it was with other children, or sympathetic adults.

They always left.

And so now, with the bond he had forged with the girl beside him, Frisk was determined. The feelings from the passing morning had briefly soured into a sickly apprehension, like clockwork. Would she leave? Was this a dream? Was she really his friend?

He had decided that she was. That this wasn't a dream. That if she left, he would follow. Which is why, now, as the two children wound through the ever-so slightly lightening tunnels, Frisk swore to himself silently that he would watch out for Chara.

Nodding to himself forcefully, he knew he had made the right promise. Best friends watched out for each other after all, and she had been doing more than her fair share for him.

"*Is everything alright, Frisk? You've been pulling faces ever since Sans and Papyrus left…" Chara piped up lightly. The boy turned to her then, quickly opening his mouth to respond.

Instead of words, all that came out was an embarrassed squeak, and he blushed, looking away. ' _There it is again…_ ' Frisk mused, the warm feeling from the morning welling up and overcoming the introspective thoughts he just been entertaining.

At some point they had taken back their arms from each other, and a slight distance had developed as they each became lost in thought. The silence had been companionable, no sound aside from the flickering of the torchlight in his hand, and the echoes of two sets of footfalls- one set was drowned out by the other, but it was still noticeable.

Evidently, Frisk's train of thought was very conspicuous for his partner to catch him out like this.

"Y-yeah Chara! I guess I'm just a little scared is all… You know what might be coming, but for me… it's all new and terrifying!" He chirped his lie rapidly, his voice rough with how dry his mouth had suddenly become. Schooling his expression, he turned back to Chara and attempted a toothy smile, so exaggerated it pushed his eyes shut.

The girl rose an eyebrow at his strange behaviour, but then smiled back, albeit more sedately. "*Is that all? Look… We can do this, together you see? I'm not going anywhere, as much help as _I_ am with these useless, noodle arms… But hey, my wit is sharp as ever!" Chara boasted, folding her arms and nodding sharply, grinning.

"…What does 'wit' mean?" Frisk asked curiously, the previous act dropped for honest confusion. Chara responded in good grace by face-faulting, her eyes dulling as she stared at the boy.

"*… Wit means you're clever and funny Frisk… How do you not know that?" She questioned, her expression turning suspicious as the boy's face twitched slightly at her latter words.

As if to try and hide it, Frisk beamed at her once again, although this time Chara frowned back. "Oh! Well, you're right there then! You're certainly the most 'witty' person I know! …Though Sans can sometimes be more funny…" At the mention of the lazy skeleton, the girl pouted, though she kept her frown in place.

Frisk's smile slowly diminished as Chara stared at him, shifting uncomfortably under her gaze. As they had begun talking again, both the children had steadily slowed their pace through the tunnels until now, where they both faced each other under the soft orange glow provided by the boy's dog-treat torch.

There they remained for a few moments in silence, a tension neither child could truly comprehend building in the atmosphere between them. The boy, in his nervous state, cracked first.

"…Erm… maybe you're more funny?" Frisk attempted lamely, a lopsided smile breaking out on his face, unknowingly reminiscent of the girl's favourite expression. He looked anywhere but her, and shifted his feet slightly.

"*…Frisk… You know you can trust me… I mean, you… convinced me to… try and look at things from a different angle than before… If that's any sort of sign of how much I trust _you_. So… I'll ask again. Is everything alright?"

At this, the boy was at a complete loss. With her words now and just before, it was as if she knew _exactly_ what had been troubling him, and had swiftly assuaged it- throwing him completely off kilter.

Ergo, all Frisk could think to do now was stare at his friend dumbly, wide-eyed and slack-jawed, higher comprehension lost to him. Chara narrowed her eyes and grinned victoriously, stepping toward the boy. He did not step back, rooted to the spot as he was.

"*I _knew_ it! Come on partner, did you really think you could hide things from me? Now spit it out!" She commanded, raising her hand to shut his still-open mouth. He did not react, only staring straight into her eyes.

Frowning again in mock frustration at his lack of answer, or any true form of response, she followed up the correction of his face with a sharp jab to his chest. "*Come on!" She coaxed, secretly enjoying the effect this was having on the boy.

Her curiosity and his mental-blank both coalesced into acute panic, as Frisk toppled over backward suddenly with Chara's prodding; too lost in thought he was for balance, and she unknowing of just how much force she was now capable of.

Suffice to say, no amount of flailing arms could save Frisk from falling onto his backside, Chara following him down in a futile attempt to save him, both crying out as they fell onto each other.

Neither were concerned in the slightest with the contact however, as with the motion Frisk had flung the torch provided to them by Sans back up the tunnel they had walked down from, its light snuffed out as it contacted the damp-gravel cavern floor.

Darkness rushed over them, everything drowned out save for their laboured breathing.

* * *

-O-

"Chara…"

His whisper, so close to her ear and filled with a mixture of fear and apprehension, set the hairs on the back of the girl's neck standing on end. It was hard to suppress such a reaction, given the situation they now found themselves in.

At least he wouldn't be able to see it.

Truthfully, Chara was every bit as afraid of the dark as Frisk was, though maybe for different reasons.

Claustrophobia. Smothering. She could not comprehend why she felt this way, only that she had to try and tackle the fear head-on. Frisk was relying upon her after all.

Of course however, her bravado had to be preserved. "*D-don't 'Chara' me, Frisk! This is your fault, you big marshmallow!" She chided jokily, edging out the waver in her voice.

The only response she got was Frisk's hands clutching tighter and tighter to her upper arms, nearly to the point of causing pain, frightened as he was.

"*Hah… I suppose we can't just ask Grillby to light us up again… Umm… Let's… try to get up, shall we…?" She stammered, her mind racing.

Scrambling to get up, a task made all the more arduous with the boy grasping onto her like a limpet, Chara attempted to get her bearings. Though she could not see, she managed to pull herself to her feet, into an awkward crouch. Reaching forward blindly, she grabbed what she _hoped_ were handfuls of Frisk's jacket, and pulled, revealing a problem.

"*Frisk… I know it's difficult right now… but you're going to have to work with me. I can't pull you up on my own! I don't even have _real_ arms… you do, so let's put them to use! Come on!" She pleaded with him, unable to keep the desperation out of her voice. They needed to be together! They needed to move on, swiftly!

Suddenly, an exhale of hot-cinnamon breath, streaming over and past her face. Shaky, but lively, with an added whimper of acquiescence. Chara idly wondered just how long he had been holding it, dismayed to find her mind trying to tease apart just _what_ he had eaten to produce that scent.

' _*I'm_ just _trying to distract myself from the dark!_ ' she told herself, pulling the no-longer deadweight. She was nearly bowled over as his _real_ strength rapidly overcame her incorporeal power, and the situation was neatly reversed as with a slight gasp, Frisk miraculously held her from falling, nearly toppling himself. In their position, with the incline of the cave tunnel and the dark, it was more difficult than normal to determine balance.

Several awkward exchanges of force later, and tightly holding onto one another for support, Chara and Frisk wordlessly and slowly attempted to arise to a standing position.

This time met with success.

"*R-right, remember what I said about the cave getting brighter as we move in? The glowing water? It shouldn't be too far now before we see the first streams! We just need to find the wall, move along it down the tunnel, and then we _should_ be able to see again soon!" Chara assured her partner quietly, clenching her hands around his arms even tighter. Frisk tautened his hands in tandem.

"O-okay… I… thank you Chara…" Came his croaked response. With a slight push toward her in encouragement, the girl couldn't help but smile in his direction. Sure it would be lost to the dark, but it's the fact she did so that's important, right?

Gently, patiently, the two children shifted slowly toward what they thought was one of the walls. In the dark, each fearful of falling once again, it was slower even than a snail's pace. And yet with the progress, their minds gradually turned from the oppressive dark, and onto each other. Glad they had the other with them. The goal they could reach only together.

And so it was that when Chara finally brushed backwards against the wall, she couldn't help but squeal with joy. "*We made it!" She exulted, pulling one of the boy's arms past her so he could touch the wall. Upon hearing his heavy sigh of relief, she laughed, taking advantage of his position to hug him tightly.

"*See what we can do when we're determined together Frisk? You just defeated darkness!" Chara whispered jokily into his hair, for she could not find his ear. Feeling the sensation of him silently chuckling at her statement, she found herself grinning widely and triumphantly.

"I-I'd say _you_ beat it Chara… I'd still be stuck on the ground if it weren't for you." Frisk countered, quietly but surely. To this, she had no response; feeling the boy hug her back with twice the strength she gave him, and she felt her face heat up rapidly, his cinnamon scent now acute in her nostrils.

With the sensation of that _odd_ feeling arising inside once again as he held her, Chara quickly but gently pulled herself out of the embrace, letting go of the breath she hadn't known she was holding. Turning herself to the wall, whilst ensuring she now had a firm hold on Frisk's hand, she felt the smooth surface of the tunnel, and tilted her body carefully to test the gradient of the tunnel.

Which way was up? They needed to go downward, or else they would find themselves heading back toward Snowdin, rendering Sans and Papyrus' guidance pointless.

Frisk answered for her. "Chara, can you… see that? It's… there's _light_ coming from down there!" He whispered excitedly, tugging her hand toward and past himself.

Peering carefully, there _was_ something. Slowly but surely, it seemed their sight was adapting to the now pitch-black, and whilst there was still nothing physical to see, Chara could see what Frisk was referring to.

It was as if she was looking down into a dark well, but the bottom was brighter than everything around her; a shade of the deepest blue, whilst everything in all other directions was black. It was certainly their best bet.

Although he had been the one to notice it, Frisk was the first to doubt. "It… could be just the way we came…" He muttered, no longer tugging on Chara's hand but still holding it as tight as ever.

The girl shrugged. "*Well, I guess we'll soon find out… _I_ would rather like to see again, wouldn't you?" She said lightly. Feeling him nod vigorously, Chara felt her grin return.

"*Well… lead on then partner. I'm right here, we can do this together." She encouraged quietly but strongly, clenching his hand. Although she could not see it, Frisk smiled warmly at her words, and began to pull her along gently as he moved, gripping the wall all the while.

* * *

-X-

He was flush with the moment they had shared, and the heartfelt assurance she had given him. Additionally, he felt much more comfortable following along the smooth wall of the tunnel than being out in the open, where the darkness felt far more _infinite_.

Frisk recalled how familiar that feeling was, struggling to pinpoint at this moment just where he had felt it. But this was ruthlessly quashed in favour of focussing on the path ahead, and the warm hand of his best friend.

The strange things were, for now, becoming comforting, and he didn't question them; occasionally, he would look around and try to assess his surroundings to no avail, increasing the apprehension within him. But before it could stall his pace… Chara would squeeze his hand, and whisper "*We're getting there Frisk! We can do it!" like a mantra. It comforted him greatly, his courage replenishing every time.

How did she know to do it? How could he _possibly_ even _survive_ without her? He meant every word he had said to her earlier to their fullest, and with the way she was now staying close to him… not leaving as his childish doubts claimed before… How could he be afraid?

These musings kept Frisk occupied, and they both quietly made their way toward the brightening light in companionable silence.

Before long, there was a new noise to their steady footfalls and breaths. At first, they had both dismissed it as an added background sound in accompaniment to their own, but it was increasing in volume, its echoes independent of theirs.

Their shared pace increased as they both identified it for what it was- rushing water. Water in this place meant light, or so Chara had said. Although he still could not see her, he looked toward where he thought she was and grinned happily. As if in response, Chara squeezed his hand in their shared familiar gesture, and they both walked along the wall with ever-increasing fervour.

As the tunnel seemed to bend sharply to the left, and then to the right, veering upward… It became clear why they had been unable to see it before now. With each bend, the magnitude of brightness increased, and as they eagerly crested the final upturn in the tunnel, they could see each other's faces once again, the walls around them a silhouette.

And before them stood the answer why.

The tunnel opened up into a long, cross-shaped cavern, with the path ahead of them lit, and still beckoning, though this was not the astounding part.

Travelling across the room from left to right in front of them, was a large river, which was glowing a faint blue, both with a strange, innate luminescence, but also in reflection of the white shining crystals overhead, twinkling above and on the water's surface like the stars above-ground. Whilst Frisk could not see the wall to his far-right, he could easily make-out why the water seemed to be making so much noise.

A large, bottomless drop made way for the biggest, most beautiful waterfall Frisk had seen in his short life.

Moving slightly ahead of him, Chara turned and smiled at his awed expression. "*Welcome to Waterfall I guess Frisk! It might have been rather difficult getting here, but I would say our efforts paid off don't you think?"

It took him a few moments and a few attempts, but eventually, he had a legible answer to give her.

"It's… I've never seen anything like this before…" He marvelled, looking around everywhere before returning his gaze to her. Framed in the ghostly light, the glittering of the almost-stars above in her eyes, Frisk felt a lump form in his throat as she grinned toothily at him, before it turned more thoughtful.

"*Those… _people_ on the surface don't know what they're missing. Not that I want them to see this, I think we and the monsters should be the only ones…" She spoke quietly, trailing off and looking away from him. Her sudden change in mood startled him; moving toward her, Frisk retook her hands.

"We… will be the last ones too, because once _we're_ done, the monsters will be able to see the real stars and waterfalls, right?" He reminded, coaxing her into looking into his eyes again.

"*Y-yeah…" She murmured, before they both froze. He looked slowly downward to see her lip quivering, and it was as if everything about her face became acute in detail. Her cheeks, her eyes, twinkling. His heart hammering. Breath hot and stagnant in his throat.

Once again, he was caught. He could see she was too. What _was_ this feeling torturing him? He had to break free.

Looking and pulling away, Frisk felt his breathing return, and was dimly aware of Chara breathing heavily too. He was shaking, but was neither afraid or cold. In fact, he felt hotter than ever.

So _confusing_.

Clumsily, his thoughts a mess, he tried to follow up on what he was saying.

"A-and t-then you'll be able to see them a-again too Chara! Though this _is_ really beautiful…" He asserted, managing to edge out the stammer in his voice. Staring hard at the water pouring over the lip of rock, he heard his partner collect herself and clear her throat.

"*E-exactly, so… we should keep going! Sans and Papyrus are waiting for us ahead right? They said they were meeting with their boss… That they might meet up with us again…" She reasoned, to which the boy nodded, moving toward the water's edge.

Frisk looked dubiously down at the water, and then up to the path, which was to his relief significantly brighter than the tunnels they had entered in from, due to the luminescent gemstones implanted in the walls. Hearing Chara move up beside him, he looked toward her carefully, though the feeling from a moment ago did not return.

She looked back at him and smiled lopsidedly, albeit more nervously than usual. "*It looks like we might have to get our poor little feet wet though…" She said in a faux-despairing tone.

To that, Frisk couldn't help but giggle, and Chara's uneasy smile developed into a full-on devilish grin. Nothing could keep them down in the end, a fact which was proven shortly after, Chara chasing a laughing Frisk across the shallow channel with her tickling arms outstretched, water splashing everywhere.

Neither minded how soaked they both were afterward, instead giggling, teasing and wrestling one another once they reached the other side. A monkey-scrubbed Frisk and shoe-less Chara later, both decided to wait for a little while to dry off, grinning like chimpanzees as they enjoyed each other's company once again. The looming, confusing feelings permeating through them both seemingly abated… for the moment.

* * *

-S-

It was becoming difficult to keep up.

None knew the tunnels of Waterfall better than Undyne after all, but it still irked and worried him in case she _did_ find the boy. No amount of subversion and distraction would stop her if she got her hands on Frisk, and he wasn't certain he'd be able to fight her. Papyrus certainly couldn't, conflicted as he was between his two friends.

He knew where the children were of course; Chara's presence still prickled despite her massive improvement in both demeanour and substance. Whilst he wasn't truly certain where that _stain_ of violence had originated from on her essence, it couldn't be taken away so easily.

Even if she had no memory of it.

Without Frisk, Sans would have been wary of her to the highest degree. Had she been left on her own with those dark thoughts and experiences stewing inside… nothing good would have happened. As it was however, he couldn't be more content. Things would, and are changing.

Such as Papyrus throwing aside his dream for something for more valuable.

"SANS… DO YOU THINK FRISK MIGHT HEAD BACK IF UNDYNE GOES AHEAD? COULD WE CATCH HIM BEFORE HE MEETS HER?" Papyrus suggested with a hint of desperation in his voice. They were both now stood, resting by the side of the largest river in Waterfall; the namesake feature of the cavern was shortly downstream of their position.

Ahead of them was Undyne, who was pacing near a ledge down into one of the lower paths, just out of their earshot. Sans could not determine whether she had noticed the two skeletons, or simply did not care about them at that moment.

"what good would that do pap? he'd just be stuck with us. undyne won't ever rest till she finds him, and i ain't paying rent for three." Sans joked, watching guiltily as Papyrus frowned scathingly at him, before sighing, looking down at his feet. He made to approach his brother, stopping as the tall skeleton spoke again.

"I GET THAT, BUT… AT THIS RATE, FRISK WILL HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO ENCOUNTER UNDYNE! I DON'T… THINK I COULD FIGHT HER, AND I DON'T THINK FRISK BY HIMSELF COULD EITHER. I MEAN, WE ARE BOTH VERY GREAT, BUT… HE NEEDS HELP NEITHER OF US CAN GIVE. SHE'S ALREADY SUSPICIOUS OF YOU, TOO…" Papyrus explained, distressed. Sans knew these things, but it provoked an idea.

"maybe… we could just distract her _before_ she gets to him? stop her attacking, without fighting. that way, you don't have to fight undyne, whilst frisk gets ahead home-free. win-win, _and_ i get to be lazy, which truly is the best part about this." Sans proposed, grinning as his brother deadpanned him after his latter words.

Papyrus did not respond beyond this however, though Sans took this as meaning he was considering it. Secretly, and with the guilty realisation of hypocrisy on his part, the short skeleton was pleased at just how _serious_ and thoughtful his brother could be in a dangerous situation. ' _i guess he really does like frisk then. i hope if they have to leave, that he doesn't take it too badly…_ ' He mused, his thoughts trailing off as he noticed something.

The twinkling glimmer of the crystal-light gave the illusion that Undyne was constantly moving, the shadows writhing about her armour as a fish swims in the sea. It was part of the mystique built around her by the people she protected, and something she took pride in. None of the stories they conjured were explicitly untrue, and the almost liquid-like appearance the ambient light gave her right now was no exception, making it normally very difficult at this distance to determine when she wasn't moving.

Right now though, it was obvious. She was stock-still. Frozen.

Sans, knowing what this meant, with the affirmation of his perception, moved forward sharply, drawing the attention of his brother.

"paps… i think now might be the time to show undyne what you're made of…"

"HOW? IS FRISK THERE?"

"think so. and erm… distracta-pasta?

Sans flinched under the sheer brilliance of the knowing grin Papyrus sent him in response.

* * *

-O-

Chara pouted grumpily as she followed an equally barefoot Frisk through the mystically-lit tunnel beyond the river.

The boy was less grumpy; he had a smile on his face, clearly having enjoyed their antics. She had as well, but she simply didn't like the sensation of sandy loam beneath her feet, a fact which she had complained about vociferously to her partner.

Dismayed at the look of sad-guilt on his face at her words, she had quickly backtracked and said it was worth it for the fun they had. With the smile he then beamed at her, she had felt both relieved… and that feeling from earlier, tying her tongue from further remarks.

So, as it was, they had to hold onto their sodden leather shoes as they traversed through the sandy tunnels. A small price to pay for the enjoyment, and the beautiful, _alien_ scenery they were confronted with.

Even she could not help but gaze around at it all, despite having seen it before. Gemstones of deep-pink, lavender, and turquoise shone from where they were placed haphazardly in the sandstone tunnel ceiling, the walls, the floor, dimly lighting their path in a mesmerising blend of deep colour.

It reminded her of the prisms Toriel would make for her and Asriel when they were…

' _*Still alive…_ ' She thought, the unhappy rumination bringing the girl's thoughts back to her brother.

They _were_ still alive, she had to remind herself. Maybe not in the conventional sense, but… Frisk wholeheartedly believed they could find a way to return them both. And she could not help but join him in his seemingly farfetched belief.

But that didn't stop the worm of doubt from struggling with her mind, disdainful of the past as it was. As the children walked, Chara became so lost in thought with it all that she didn't even notice Frisk struggling to hold the thick, long grass they were entering apart for her, the wide tunnel-roof concealing other pathways, or his deeply concerned expression when he recognised what she was doing.

The boy opened his mouth to quietly ask if she was alright, his heart going out to her. He could now make a proper guess to the direction of her thoughts, given everything he now knew about her.

" _Shh!_ "

Both the human children snapped out of their respective dazes at the sharp noise, immediately finding its source.

"She's coming! You gotta hide if you wanna watch!"

It was Sid, the yellow lizard monster child from Snowdin. He was crouched, his form almost completely obscured by the thick foliage save for his long tail, the tip of which was pointed upward in front of his mouth to simulate the gesture for silence in the absence of any arms. Despite his almost fearful tone, Chara noticed he looked almost… excited. His green serpentine eyes darted between Frisk and somewhere above them rapidly.

She scowled deeply. With the recognition came her anger for his thoughtless behaviour earlier, by the tree in Snowdin. To her surprise however, it _seemed_ Frisk had forgotten about it.

"O-oh hey… Sid? What are you doing?" The boy asked with an ever-cheerful inflection. Alarmingly, his friendliness was repaid by Sid swiftly wrapping his tail around Frisk's abdomen, and then forcefully pulling him to the ground among the grass.

Feeling herself bristle in outrage, Chara had to stop herself from screaming at the monster child, a harsh growl escaping instead. It would have _only_ deafened her partner after all. That did not stop her however from instinctively approaching Sid and coiling herself to try and fight him off of Frisk, as futile as it would have been.

Thankfully, her partner was not stunned for long. "W-what?! Sid! Why?" Came his babbling question, his voice muffled somewhat with his face half-buried in the sandy floor. The monster merely hissed in a shushing gesture once again, though this time he indicated upward with both his head and tail, before staying completely still.

Both the human children looked up to see what Sid was so anxious about. Whilst there was nothing to see aside from the ledges far out of reach, staying silent after the child's request revealed something they had missed before.

A slow, rhythmic clanging. ' _*It sounds almost like the clockwork for the big metal-bells in New Home, the ones dad had us ring when it was lunchtime…_ ' Chara reminisced, the sound familiar in her memory. She narrowed her eyes, peering, looking around the ledge Sid wanted to look at. She highly doubted there were any bells here, and given the lizard's behaviour…

Louder. Louder still. Chara glanced to see Frisk looking at her in fearful askance, though he remained still otherwise. She could only shrug slightly, before raising her eyebrow in indication at Sid, who only seemed to _buzz_ with barely contained excitement, his crooked grin turning agape as the sound abruptly _stopped_.

The girl looked up, and she too felt her scowl drain away in shock at what she saw.

A huge, human-shaped figure, wreathed in the fiercest, heaviest looking armour she had ever seen, stood bent at the hip, looking down _right at them_.

Gulping audibly, Chara recognised the helmet, intimidated even as she was by the almost _burning_ yellow eye that shone out of the right eyehole, the grim, jagged teeth. It was the visage of the captain of the Royal Guard, though the body that accompanied it was distinctly less… tortoise-like than she remembered. Even from her angle, and despite the bulkiness of the armour, the anatomy was clearly that of a woman. If this wasn't old Gerson, then…

' _*Undyne… I thought Sans and Papyrus were going to meet her?'_ Chara thought, her apprehension soaring with every moment the vicious figure stood there.

That simmering apprehension developed into adrenaline-fuelled terror as Undyne reached back forcibly with her left hand, a sparking, cerulean light appearing within. Barely a moment later, the spark increased in magnitude tenfold, the glowing energy enlarging, sharpening into what the girl could only describe as a gleaming, fiery _spear_.

And it was pointed right at Frisk.

She couldn't do anything. Chara stood, rooted to the spot as Undyne shifted slightly from side to side, tilting her menacing head. As if she was toying with her prey. Waiting for him to move. Could she even _see_ him, or did she always know he was there?

Frisk was looking up from where he lay; Chara could see his lips shaking, eyes wide, his tremoring mouth slightly agape. Sid, also gazing upward, but instead of terror on his features, there was awe.

 _She couldn't do anything_. Dread clung to her limbs, built in her throat. Threatened to push tears out of her eyes. _Useless._

 _ **Again**_ **.**

Gritting her teeth ferociously, it took all she had to break her paralysis, moving toward Frisk. So focused she was, and not caring whether it would have worked or not, or simply made matters _worse_ … Chara prepared to shove Sid off of her partner. If the captain was going to attack, they would need to _run_.

She didn't notice the puzzled Undyne looking behind where the girl walked, seeing the grass ruffle, re-aiming her throw. Or the way Frisk glanced at her, his eyes fixating on her in shock. Chara instead began reaching toward Sid's tail, hoping that it would be easy to pull the still enraptured monster away from the boy.

"SPAGHETTI SENTRY T-TO C-CAPTAIN UNDYNE!"

It was as if she was doused in icy water. The sobering, familiar ringing of Papyrus' voice made her flinch backward, the energy flowing away from her body, taking her strength with it. Falling to her knees next to Frisk's head, she looked down into her friend's eyes, reaching her trembling arms toward his face.

Meeting her halfway, the boy traded supporting himself for grasping her hands. The familiar feeling, compounded with the fear and the _relief_ of Papyrus' voice brought them both nearly to tears.

They hardly noticed the ongoing exchange above them, or that Sid was glancing between it and Frisk, unable to comprehend his strange behaviour.

"H-HI THERE! I THINK I… NO I HAVEN'T. I HAVE A VERY IMPORTANT QUESTION FOR YOU MY FRIEND!"

"you mean, you have a **bone** to pick with her."

" _SANS_! ANYWAY… UNDYNE, I… WHAT? DO I… SEE ANYTHING DOWN THERE?"

Tearing her trembling gaze from Frisk with great difficulty, Chara blearily turned her eyes upward to see the familiar features of Papyrus and Sans alongside the armoured Undyne. The tall skeleton was peering down, looking from side to side smoothly before putting his gloved hand above his eye for good measure, as if it would increase his focus. The girl couldn't tell if he had spotted Frisk, or was pretending not to. In the latter case… then Undyne most certainly _had_ done already.

She gulped thickly as she then glanced at Sans, before schooling her trembling lips and cheeks into a tight, grim smile.

He of course was looking _right_ at her, not moving his gaze. He bore the ghost of an approving grin, though Chara could not decipher whether it was approving of them, or…

Papyrus broke the silence by snapping upward and turning to Undyne, who was now watching him silently. "I CAN'T SEE _ANYTHING_ UNDYNE! I SEE THICK GRASS, SAND AND A LOT OF COLOURFUL LIGHT! I WONDER IF I COULD TAKE SOME OF THOSE STONES AND SPRUCE UP THE HOUSE! OR EVEN… MAKE _PUZZLES!_ IMAGINE THE _JAPES!_ IMAGINE THE…"

Undyne interrupted Papyrus' prattling by standing up stiffly, drowning out his voice with an almighty _clang_. An instant later, the glowing spear that was resting in her hand flickered, and disappeared, leaving no trace it had ever existed. Chara could hear her saying _something_ to the skeletons, but it was muffled, much too low for her ear.

Slowly, the captain of the Royal Guard turned back to the grass the children were hiding in, swaying slightly, looking up and down the heath. Chara allowed herself to hope beyond hope- had Undyne in fact _not_ spotted them? The girl bit her lip as she saw Papyrus, who had been regarding his superior with a neutral expression, suddenly become frantic, his eyes wide and arms reaching toward her.

"ABSOLUTELY NOT! WE ARE TOTALLY, COMPLETELY _NOT_ STALLING YOU FROM HARMING THE HARMLESS HUMAN! ISN'T THAT RIGHT, _SANS?"_ Papyrus finished his taut assuagement by swivelling and staring pointedly at his brother, gesturing toward Undyne all the while.

Sans rose a vestigial brow at his brother, before grinning at the captain. "uh yeah. we're totally not keeping you here whilst frisk gets all the way through waterfall so the shark lady can't get to him. totally."

Chara had to physically resist the urge to slap a palm to her forehead in disgust. _This_ was their way of 'talking' to their captain? Watching the armoured Undyne advance threateningly toward an unintimidated Sans, she hoped that what appeared to be a deliberately poor diversion would work.

To her and the skeleton's relief, Undyne shortly gave up her leering display, turning around with an audible _huff_ , before marching away, out of sight from the ground which Chara stood.

"OH, GOODBYE UNDYNE! PLEASE, TAKE YOUR TIME! REMEMBER TO COME BACK SOON TO SEE YOUR BEST FRIEND, THE GREAT PAPYRUS! NYEH-HEH-HEH!" Chara curiously noted how, unusually for the tall skeleton, his trademark laughter sounded rather _forced_. Despite this, she looked back to him to see him outwardly pleased, though Sans was frowning.

As the clamour of Undyne's footsteps quietened, Chara relaxed with a sigh, looking back down to Frisk, who also seemed calmer. Though his face spoke volumes about what they both felt at that moment.

Anxiety.

Although the skeletons seemed to have sent Undyne on her way, despite their slipshod manner, she would be waiting up ahead. Looking into Frisk's wide eyes, Chara could only hope that they would continue to be able to evade her.

"well that seemed to work."

Sans' nonchalant words carried down to the children, breaking them out of their tense reverie. Frisk, wanting to greet the skeletons now the danger had passed, renewed his struggle out of Sid's grip to no avail. The lizard boy, noticing his struggle, crouched forward further and hissed. "Not until they're gone! You'll spoil it dude!"

The response to this was a muffled whine from the constricted human boy, who looked piteously between Chara and his captor. Squeezing Frisk's hand, Chara reached once more toward Sid's tail, a frown now gracing her features after the lizard boy's words.

Although she was intent on doing what she could to remove Sid from Frisk, she did wonder just _why_ he was still holding him. Why he had subdued him in the first place.

It didn't matter. As much as Frisk wanted to play it gently, if Sid, who had been mean to him before, didn't let go… Her frown deepened.

"'SEEMED TO WORK'. _SANS!_ SHE'S STILL GOING TO BE LOOKING FOR HIM! YOU JUST SENT HER ON AHEAD! WHAT IF SHE HAPPENS UPON HIM? BECAUSE I DON'T THINK THE JAPES SHE PLANS ARE OF THE NON-MURDERY TYPE!"

And like shattering glass, her concentration was once again broken as she, and both the boys with her winced under the sheer ear-splitting volume of the spaghetti-loving skeleton. As much as she now liked the two bumbling brothers, she was starting to doubt her and Frisk's trust in them.

"…i thought that was the plan bro? look, you know her better than anyone; she ain't gonna give up just because of whatever we say, 'specially now we're in cahoots, right? all we can do is shadow her, and make sure she doesn't get her hands on him. at least till he gets through to hotland."

Both Chara and Frisk looked to Sans with wide eyes. They could not see Papyrus' expression, as he was now stood just out of sight, his pacing audible as ever. The short skeleton however was looking down at them lazily, hands in his pockets. He seemed utterly unconcerned with everything, grinning as he was, his posture slouched.

Until he slowly winked, to which Sid breathed in sharply with apparent excitement. Neither of the humans noticed this however.

' _*So they tried to talk, but it didn't work? So now they're trying to distract Undyne, which is what that debacle back there was about… Looks like they're not going to be meeting up with us at all Frisk…'_ Chara mused in realisation. Looking back down to her partner, who was looking her straight in the eye with as grim a smile he could manage in his position, she knew he realised it too. He squeezed her hand gently, and she reciprocated.

Things just got a lot more complicated.

* * *

-X-

"…AS MUCH AS IT _PAINS_ ME TO SAY IT… YOU ARE RIGHT, SANS. WHY CAN'T YOU JUST USE YOUR… TIMEY-WIMEY, SPACE-FOOLERY TO WHISK HIM AWAY? OR BETTER STILL, TAKE UNDYNE ON A WELL NEEDED _VACATION!_ TO SNOWDIN! WITH US! IMAGINE HOW MUCH MORE EXCITING THINGS WOULD BE WITH TWO EXPERT JAPERS IN TOWN!"

Papyrus' uncertain yet hopeful suggestions seemed to lessen in volume with each word, and from his uncomfortable position on the ground, Frisk could only reason that he was moving away.

As much as he was disappointed that he wouldn't get to see them, the boy was looking forward at least to _not_ having his face half-submerged in the soil!

"…paps, you _know_ i can't do that. besides, she's even more uptight than _you_ about vacations- i doubt it'd go over well if we asked her 'hey undyne, let's go on a holiday to the _freezebox_ ', 'specially when the whole reason there's a royal guard in the first place is currently waltzing through waterfall."

Sans' half-jokey, half-serious voice was quickly being drowned out by the sound of the skeleton's echoing footsteps. They must have been moving fast in order to catch up to Undyne, Frisk reasoned, though he found himself raising an eyebrow and smirking at the thought of Sans _rushing_.

"AND WHY NOT? THE FREEZEBOX IS A FANTASTIC PLACE TO STAY ON HOLIDAY! AND WORK! AND… FRIENDS…" Papyrus' indignant response was eventually swallowed by the ambience as well, his words blending into an indecipherable noise, which steadily quietened into nothing.

And just like that, the tunnels were as they had been when it was just him and Chara wandering through- calm, lukewarm and quite unlike anything Frisk could have ever imagined.

The sudden, jarring and yet _relieving_ feeling of Sid the monster kid releasing him from his grip reminded the boy that it was _not_ the same however. Maintaining his hold on his partner's hand, he scrambled quickly to his feet with Chara's help, pulling him upward.

Although he was still wary of Sid after his less than couth 'assistance', Frisk found himself smiling at the lizard-boy's excitement. He was bouncing around on his bare, scaly feet, giggling, though to the other boy's worriment, he did not look like he had control on his balance, despite the long tail. Looking to Chara, his smile diminished as he saw her regarding Sid with outright suspicion.

He had to stop himself from reassuring her- despite getting a mouthful of sandy soil, Sid had just saved them, right? Instead, he settled for squeezing her hand tightly, making her look to him instead, which to his pleasure, brought a smile to her face once again.

It was going to be okay.

"D-d-dude… _that_ … was so… COOL! Did you see that? _Did you see that?!_ Undyne… Captain… Undyne… was _right_ there! And then! _And. Then!_ Those skeletons! They… the little one… He _winked_ at us bro! Wow! This is amazing dude!"

Both the humans, adorned with varying apprehensive smiles, watched as Sid danced gleefully, chattering about what had just occurred. They didn't have to wait long before he rushed up to Frisk, his posture causing him to peer upward at the human boy owlishly.

Frisk couldn't stop himself from gulping, glancing helplessly toward Chara as he leaned backward from Sid's chaotic behaviour and forwardness. After several moments of tense silence, in which the human boy was visually frisked by the excitable lizard, the girl looking on with an expression of bewilderment, the mood became strangely sombre.

It was as if he had just been burned; Sid backed away from Frisk, turning to the side with his features indicative of… shame? Frisk, who had been puzzled before, could only stare in utter confusion as the monster kid then smiled awkwardly, looking not quite at the boy as he talked.

"Um… sorry about all that… and uh… what me and Suzy said back in Snowdin… my sis gave me _such_ a beasting when she found out! I didn't mean… and Undyne! I didn't want to ruin the _moment!_ Like, dude… I've never seen her so close! And she was… and… please…" His babble petered out at the sight of Frisk beaming at him, shaking his head with his left arm outstretched toward him. Sid could only find it in himself to gape, though if he could have seen the girl, he would have beheld an expression of confusion develop into something between stunned and beatific.

"D-dude…"

"Sid… please, it doesn't matter. There's nothing to be sorry for! I… uh… but that was really… _Cool!_ Getting me down in time so we could see… Undyne…" Frisk stuttered, his friendliness genuine. He had in fact, up until now, forgotten what happened in Snowdin, and did not care to revisit it. His smile deepened as Sid's lips quavered into an open-mouthed, gobsmacked expression of his own, and Chara's hand squeezed his tighter.

"*You… _still_ never cease to amaze me, partner." At her whisper, he felt _that_ warmth creep in once again, mixed with pride. He didn't know what was so amazing, but… he was pleased with Chara's words.

It was all he could to stop himself choking with laughter as Sid fumbled and babbled, leaning to and fro, looking Frisk up and down uncertainly, as if he were a ghost.

' _If only he knew of the_ real _one holding my hand…_ ' The sobering thought filled Frisk with an odd mixture of sadness and hilarity; he just hoped it didn't translate onto his silly face…

Luckily, Sid was otherwise occupied. "But… Wha… May… Just… Wha?! You're not… angry?" The lizard boy seemed to calm as Frisk merely shook his head in response, maintaining his smile. It was as if, for just that moment, the hyperactivity drained out of the monster kid, leaving a thoughtful, almost scholarly person behind. Cocking his scaly head to the side, he slowly approached the human boy once again, though this time, nobody retreated in apprehension.

Owlishly, Sid stared at Frisk once again for several silent moments. Just as Frisk's hold on his smile began to waver under the intense assessment, the seriousness bled out of the lizard boy like a jug drained of water.

Even Chara jumped as Sid's features reassumed their energetic origins. It was all Frisk could do to hold onto her hand as he was nearly bowled over, an excitable yellow face appearing uncomfortably close to his.

"Then! If you're not mad… Then you wanna join me in watching _her_ then! Don'tcha? _Dude!_ You came at the _BEST. EVER._ Time! Cause those skeletons… and how _angry_ she looked! Whoa…!" Frisk swore he could see the kid's last meal with the proximity of his mouth to his eyes. As gentle and tolerant as the boy could be sometimes, _this_ was cutting it close.

"*Get away!" Just as he had been thinking about how to best _remove_ Sid from his personal space, an irate Chara seemed to have taken things out of his hands.

To his horror, of course.

The girl seemed to be huffing steam out of her nostrils- she had evidently managed to shove Sid away with her free hand. The idle thought of just _how_ Chara managed such force given her incorporeality lingered for but a moment, but it was subsumed by his concern for the fallen monster child.

He had pirouetted, landing flat on his face in the dirt.

"*He's madder than a barrel of monkeys! What is _with_ this guy?!" Chara snarled vindictively, gesturing toward the fallen lizard. All the indignant energy from her gesticulation vanished once she turned back to Frisk, whereupon her free hand fell to her side, her expression gormless.

The boy was attempting to glare at her as disapprovingly as possible, his eyes narrowed, and lips tight in a pout. Although it was incredibly difficult to maintain on his best friend, he didn't want anyone to be hurt on his account, especially not _by_ or _to_ Chara.

"Chara… I know he was a little over the top… But you can't just hit people! You could hurt them! We don't want to hurt people… We want to save them, remember?" Although he spoke as softly as he ever did, the reproach in his words was incisive. The girl had the audacity to blink, before his meaning dawned upon her.

Sheepish would be far too shallow a word to describe Chara's expression then. Despite her mortification, she attempted to mount a defence, though it came out as more of a whine. "*But Frisk… he was… I couldn't just let him _do_ that to you!" The boy tightened his grip on her hand, and smiled lopsidedly at her.

The lump building in her throat as she recognised just how Frisk was emulating _her_ now filled her only with more embarrassment and a realisation that despite how… unassuming her partner tended to be…

He was still far stronger than her in many ways.

Frisk, bringing her hand up between their faces, opened his mouth to say more…

"Dude, who _are_ you talking to?"

…And then shrieked, nearly knocking both Chara and the newly-upright Sid back to the floor, his sagely countenance broken.

"…Dude! I can't feel my _ears_. What magic is that?"

"*…Frisk, I doubt even _I_ can go that high-pitch. Are you sure you're a boy?"

The combination of Sid's innocent question and Chara's less-than polite one brought forth a sound not often heard in this world.

Frisk's groan of dismay followed his shriek, carrying throughout the tunnels until they reached their concerned recipients in faraway places.

Many thought they had just heard the two-tone cry of a new animal, or maybe it was an indeterminate monster in need of assistance.

Lucky for the two children that none thought it was a human, eh?

* * *

-S-

"…WAS THAT… A _GHOST?!"_

"…i dunno bro, wanna go back and ask 'em?"

"N-NO… I M-MEAN! AHEM! YES! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WOULD BE _GLAD_ TO GREET THIS BANSHEE! WHEREVER… THEY…"

"…may scream?"

"YES! THAT!"

"aren't we supposed to be following undyne so she doesn't get her hands on the kid?"

"WHY CAN WE NOT DO BOTH? ALL WE NEED TO DO IS BE HERE AND THERE IN QUICK SUCCESSION!"

"i dunno, i think it could be pushing it, even for you, pap."

"HMM… YOU ARE RIGHT… SANS! YOU HAVE YOUR TIMEY-WIMEY LEGS! YOU CAN DO IT WITH EASE!"

"i can't do that bro."

"AND WHY EVER NOT, YOU LAZY BONES?"

"i'm working right now."

"OH. YOU _ARE!_ I'M SO PROUD OF YOU! YOU'RE FINALLY GAINING _RESPONSIBILITY!_ "

"heh. besides, nobody is better at bringing 'em in than you bro. after this then, maybe huh?"

"WOWIE! IT'S A DEAL!"

* * *

-X-

After Frisk calmed down, Sid had begun regaling the boy about how he knew all the 'best spots' to hide and see Undyne on her patrols, and that he was more than willing to let his newest friend in on the fun.

The embarrassed Frisk then graciously accepted Sid's eager offer to lead, attempting in vain to ignore the amusement radiating off his best friend, and the uncomfortably wet, sandy shoes on his feet, having decided to wear them instead of carry them any longer.

Whilst Chara had maintained her hold on his hand, she had not spoken since her cheeky remark about his voice. He understood why; although it _appeared_ that Sid had forgotten how he was talking to what must have appeared to be thin-air, it definitely served well not to raise his curiosity once again.

As it was, Frisk followed after the happily chattering Sid through the Waterfall tunnels, attempting to decipher what the lizard was saying without much luck. Chara trailed slightly behind, pulled along by her partner as he tried to keep up with their guide.

"…And like… umm… it's really cool that _you_ want to come along too! There aren't many other kids like us who would want to come see the captain! I don't understand why Suzy wouldn't… she says she's scary… but I think she's _cool!_ "

Taking advantage of what seemed to be a rare breather in Sid's discourse, Frisk voiced a question, surprising himself with how inquisitorial he almost sounded. As he spoke, he felt Chara's grip on his hand tighten uncomfortably, though he did not turn to look at her.

"Sid, what do _you_ think about Undyne? Why… is she cool?"

 _That_ seemed to catch the lizard boy off-guard. So much so, that he stopped suddenly in his tracks swivelling round to a surprised Frisk, who immediately dropped his inquiring look in favour of an expression of surrender.

"Y-you don't have to answer that if you don't want to Sid…! Thank you for taking us… _me_ through Waterfall…" In his surprise at the unexpected reaction from the monster kid, he had forgotten to _not_ refer to the fact that he was not actually alone; it would seem that Sans had overly spoilt him in this regard. Glancing quickly back to Chara, who was quietly hissing through her teeth, Frisk bit his lip as he awaited what he thought would be difficulty from their serpentine companion.

It was not to be however. Sid took no notice of Frisk's words following his first question, evidently in deep contemplation.

For a few moments, the children stood there awkwardly, the human boy shifting his feet uncomfortably as the lizard boy remained stock still. Just as Frisk thought he could bear it no longer, clearing his throat, Sid finally spoke, quietly yet assuredly.

"Because she's the best. Cause she beats up bad-guys! Because when an evil human finally drops down here… she'll catch them, and then…! We'll all be free! She's a hero!"

And in an almost perfect inversion of the beginning of this conversation, Frisk was left dumbstruck at Sid's answer. Not for the first time, he was glad that the present company seemed ignorant to just _what_ he was, especially after this.

He couldn't help but flinch belatedly as the full meaning of the words hit him. If Sid found out what he was, then hiding from Undyne would be purely down to luck. And if the monster kid were to decide to try and _fight_ him…

Gulping, he gazed around as he tried to find the words to respond with. Chara, to his worriment, seemed to have completely closed-off at this, her eyes screwed shut, mouth upturned in a grimace.

"T-that's… definitely a good reason to think she's… cool. Definitely!" Frisk stuttered, trying his best to grin back at Sid, who was peering at him oddly. At his words, the lizard boy seemed to regain his excitement, bouncing on the spot.

"Told you she was cool! Like, I wanna grow up to be a royal guard like her someday! I bet I'd make an awesome guard man! Don't you think so?!" To this, Frisk could only think to nod vigorously, thankful that the boy didn't seem to have picked up on his hesitation, even if this _new_ assertion rang uncomfortably close to a certain _other_ friend he had struggled to overcome this obstacle with…

Strange, how despite seeming childish on the surface, that everything Sid had said left both Frisk and Chara heavy in the heart, washing away the illusion of serenity from their situation and leaving only menace.

Gritting his teeth, Frisk tried to show the brave face he always saw on Chara, feeling a surge of strength in doing so. They could _not_ give up now!

As their oblivious guide resumed his prior chattering, moving forward through the tunnel, it was all Frisk could do to _drag_ his partner along, the motivation seeming to have left her. To see her so drained… She was looking down at her feet; whatever chord the monster kid's words seemed to have struck, the boy wanted to reverse.

He needed his partner back.

Making sure Sid wasn't paying attention, he brought his free hand to Chara's chin, lifting her head gently so he could look into her eyes.

Although they were open, their glazed appearance told Frisk that she was in deep thought. Whispering her name, he smiled upon seeing the comprehension return to her visage, and she smiled half-heartedly back at him.

She said nothing, though from the sudden tightness of her grip on his hand, everything that was needed to be spoken was conveyed to Frisk in that moment.

Nothing had changed- they would get through this and save them. Together.

As they both came to the same conclusion, half-hearted smiles became full, and their strength renewed. Frisk could only guess as to why it hurt Chara so much- it hurt _him_ plenty enough. But there was one thing he was certain of.

Nothing could surmount them as long as they were together.

* * *

 **-X-**

 **A/N:** How's that for a cheesy finish? But it's not done yet! The next chapter should be up either tomorrow or the day after; this and the next were originally one HUGE super-chapter, but after much deliberation I decided to split it in two. This is the first part.

ALSO, there will be an omake of _this_ chapter uploaded into a separate story (It will be named 'Dancer') alongside the next chapter. Look on my profile for when it happens! **Additionally** , I have decided to amend a certain detail in the story summary up-top: just in case you were unsure c: (Also because I don't want to disappoint/anger anybody who'll find this and won't appreciate the turnout of events).

I am so sorry this took so long… Work. Work. And work. This story is NOT dead- it's anything but.

For all those who reviewed… thank you. Thank you for your patience: Bloxxerstudios1; A Whale of a Time; EIGHT guests (of varying politeness); TheGreatUncleanOne; Taeniaea; PhoenixCaptain; Congie; Dowe The Puppet Master; D3aCt1vAt3D; Arashi – IV of VI; M3e3e3; The Emerald Queen 88; CVLTheDragonSlayer and FlightOfTheHerons. Whew!

Special thanks to Mary for her patience, her suggestions and for looking over my work, and to Shayne… for playing 'Pretty Pet' AT MAXIMUM VOLUME UNTIL I WORKED ON THIS. UGH.

Anyway. See you shortly! And thank you.


	25. Glimmer

Chapter Twenty-Five – Glimmer

 **A/N: I will be uploading the next chapter later tonight, and that is a** _ **promise.**_ **Give me a couple of hours or so!**

* * *

-O-

Embitterment.

Resentment. Shame.

 **Guilt.**

It was these, sickly feelings which arose within Chara when Sid spoke of his adoration in Undyne. Taunting her. Reminding her of just what her species _did_ to the monsters.

What they did to _her_.

 **Hatred.**

She thought she had smothered it. Forgotten what it felt like, what they did. Now that _he_ was here, Chara assumed she was ready to look forward.

He was so _different_.

It was all a haze, what happened _before_ , on the surface. The stories her adoptive family would tell her, of a genocide lifted only out of some sort of smug pity, a last plea for mercy. They were almost fairytales to Asriel, but to her, they were like indictments.

She knew of the cruelty.

Looking back, at her incomplete, fractured and repressed memories, all she knew what she and Asriel wanted to do was to find a way out, to save the monsters. Once they found they could do it, with _her_ … She had been relentless. She wanted to free what to her, were the only people deserving of the surface. So much more.

And to make _them_ payfor it _._

Her only regret had been leaving her new, loving family. At least she would have been with her brother forever, right?

…

So what happened?

Had _they_ killed Asriel? Finally killed _her_? The thought made her tremble.

And yet.

And yet…

Looking into _his_ eyes again, she was confused. In truth, she felt little when she first saw him. His face.

And then she saw the forlornness. The hope when he saw her. Saw Toriel.

Kindred? No, this was so much more.

Chara had always thought that the angel would be her, but in the end, she was just like _them_.

He however...

He was unlike anything she had come to expect, in either humans or monsters.

Humans? Her experience of them was unspeakable. What they did to the monsters… She thought it would be better if they, and her, in the very end were gone. So what was he? Had they changed in all this time? Was he special?

Undoubtedly. But if _he_ could be…

Monsters? Their hearts were filled with love. For her, for each other, in their unique, eccentric ways. As… pliable as Asgore had been, and evidently still was now, the kingdom was without strife. Except for the lingering sadness. They could not _do_ anything, even if they had it all in front of them.

So what was Frisk?

He seemed to have _the_ answer for everything, and although he needed her help, needed Sans and Papyrus' help, he pulled through.

He would not fight. Though he was uncertain sometimes, frightened…

When she held his hand as she always did, he would strive. _Determined_.

Perfect.

Looking at him now, Sid's words shook him, but they changed nothing.

And so despite his need of her, despite not being as physically or intellectually powerful as the others, he was in-fact stronger than all of them combined.

The heart of a monster, with conviction. The soul and body of a human, selfless.

Loving.

He clutched her hand with all of his might, grasped her chin, forcing her to look him in the eyes. There _it_ was again, but… all of a sudden, so much _stronger_.

And all she can do is smile. Realise that he's right once again, this won't stop them.

Forget the hatred. Look _forward_. Past it.

Forget the mistakes, they were making up for it _now_. Pursue forgiveness, happiness, with diligence.

Try to ignore the hot, fluttering feeling in her chest as they walk together, and the warm tears in her eyes.

* * *

-X-

"Chara… are you okay? You're crying…"

Said girl suddenly fixed Frisk with a stare that he identified to be between fear and embarrassment. He was almost scared _himself_ as she then furiously wiped her eyes with her free sleeve, quickly returning her gaze level once she was done. Her eyes were red and raw, but still she managed to grin at him in that light-hearted, lopsided manner he was becoming so used to.

Blinking, his mouth slack-jawed in confusion, he schooled his expression into what he thought was a smile of his own, which only served to make Chara beam more toothily, though she still said nothing.

Amusedly, Frisk thought that he must have looked very goofy, and yet he did not care about that in this moment. It was good to see her smile again.

Since he had last spoken to her, she had been once again seemingly lost in thought, although this time she had walked evenly with his and Sid's pace, her hand held in his.

Frisk thought little of it for a time; after all, there was not much she _could_ do. Chara could neither partake in the animated one-sided conversation Sid was chattering with him about, nor could she really talk to him either lest they arouse suspicion in the lizard-boy.

As they walked, the scenery morphed from tight, colourfully lit tunnels to more spacious, deeper caverns, with little bridges consisting of still, floating lily-pads. There had even been a bench they had passed, though Sid refused to rest at it when questioned.

" _There's no time to waste dude! We might miss Undyne if we wait! Besides… I… umm… can't really get comfortable on those…"_ As Sid had said this, he glanced toward his sides, tail, and then pointedly toward Frisk's arms.

That had left the boy tongue-tied, and his mouth scrunched up in what Sid had jokingly commented to be the 'infamous sucking-lemon face'. Needless to say, Frisk talked nothing more on the matter, thoroughly abashed.

Looking over to his partner immediately afterward, his sheepish, embarrassed expression was quickly swept aside, replaced with concern.

Chara was _furious_.

He quickly ascertained it was neither _him_ nor Sid she was angry about, for she bore the faraway look he had come to know she wore when she was deep in thought- still.

But why? Her expression was nothing short of _terrifying_ ; eyes so piercing they almost _glowed_ , her mouth and nose curled up in a snarl.

Hardly able to concentrate and reply to Sid, Frisk tried to let his partner be, but could not ignore the abject worriment for long. It upset him to the core.

As the trio entered a large, coal-surfaced cavern, glistening with thousands of blue-light crystals above, the boy could bear it no longer, unable to appreciate the sights or what Sid was saying. So he finally turned around and spoke. Maintaining some _masquerade_ was far less important than her welfare!

Even now, at present, he was still trying to figure out why she had now begun silently _weeping_.

He shook himself, wanting to say more than just her name. He wanted to let her know he was there for her, just as she was for him. To hug her.

Squeezing and raising her hand slowly, Frisk voiced Chara's name again quietly, watching as she absently refocused, only for her flush expression, tinged blue with the ambience, turn _horrified_.

"That's _it,_ dude! I heard you say it before too! _Who_ are you talking to? Who is _Chara_?!"

Understandably, neither human could react rationally in that moment. The return of Frisk's gormless expression, all that his brain could process to convey to Sid proved just that. Their now-wary companion positioned himself right before Frisk, the accusation clear in his gait.

A similar lack of comprehension surfaced when the lizard boy spoke again, the suspicious tone ever-incisive. "…And why do have your arm held up like that dude? I didn't wanna say it, but you walking around like that looks _weird_ , and _I_ don't _have_ arms! N-now that's saying something!"

After several moments of numb, confused thought processed in Frisk's head, whereupon he dimly noticed Sid slowly begin emulating his open-mouthed expression before him, he felt a light jab in his side, along with a hiss in his ear.

"*Frisk! Don't let him come up with an answer of his own!" Came Chara's urgent whisper. Coughing and spluttering with this sudden incentive, the boy attempted to formulate as best an explanation as he could, put on the spot as he was.

"Ah…! She… erm… yeah… like… I-I…"

The sharp, smacking sound to his right was what Frisk mortifyingly guessed to be his partner slapping her palm to her forehead.

Sid on the other hand, miraculously seemed to put two and two together from Frisk's non-answer. His imitation of the boy's thoughtless expression developed into something between joyous, and knowing; like a predatory lawyer cornering their suspect.

Frisk swallowed thickly as the lizard boy slowly but surely fired his first question.

"So they're a _she_ … eh? What's she li-ike?"

"Umm… she umm… I don't…"

"C'mon dude! You can tell me!"

"*Frisk. Do NOT tell him that I'm a ghost. No, you know what? Don't say a _thing_."

"Don't say anyth-! Eh-erm…"

Suffice to say, the train of thought in Frisk's head was travelling _off_ the rails. The only thing the poor boy could think to do at this point, was to cover his mouth with his free hand, and scrunch his eyes shut.

' _I messed up! I Chara is gonna be so mad… and Sid…'_ His thoughts were so clenching and inward, that he nearly missed what Sid said next.

"Aww c'mon man! We're friends, aren't we? …Hey, if you tell me about _your_ imaginary friend, _I'll_ tell you about mine!"

' _No-no-no…-Wait, what?_ ' Dumbfounded, the human boy slowly opened one eye to see Chara, equally flabbergasted by Sid's unwittingly saving-deduction. _Imaginary friends…_

"…Umm… Y-yeah! Imaginary! Totally… imaginary…!" Frisk tittered nervously, watching his partner pulling a petulant face at him, her eyes half-lidded. No sign of her earlier upset remained, but the boy pushed this idle observation to the back of his mind.

Bouncing impatiently before him, Sid pressed further. "So… go on! Is she _pretty_? Is she _cool_? I bet _she_ told you to come see Undyne too, right?"

Rapidly, _irrationally_ , Frisk felt like the earth was going to swallow him, his legs turning to jelly. Biting his lip, he felt that is exactly what should happen right now to spare him. He had to say it.

"…Yes… Very."

Strangely, Sid looked… relieved? The boy could not at that moment interpret his expression, dreading only how Chara might respond.

"*Frisk… What… _Why_ would he… umm… ask about _me_ telling you to see Undyne?" This prompted said boy to snap out of his wobbly daze, and he glanced quickly at Chara. He noted with an inscrutable feeling that she was flushed, cheeks rosier than ever, but her expression was serious.

He didn't want to think about what _he_ looked like. Instead, he snapped his head back to Sid to relay his partner's question, trying his best to maintain a straight face.

The lizard boy however seemed to become withdrawn, looking off to the side with his serpentine eyes unfocused. As Frisk gently repeated himself, Sid turned back to the human with his expression becoming steadily incredulous.

"Wait, dude… you mean she _didn't_ tell you to go see Undyne?" Frisk shook his head, trying to fix a solid smile onto his face with all the mixed feelings racing around within.

"N-no Sid… but, _why_ would she tell me to? Did… _yours_ tell you to?" He asked as calmly as he could. As he finished, there was a familiar, prickling sensation at the back of his neck. Rubbing the incessant itch, he tried to ignore it.

"Y-yeah dude! He told me I should… not that I needed _him_ to tell me to! She's so cool, but you already _know_ that, don'tcha?! I couldn't figure why he said it would be 'so important' someday though… but hey!"

' _So important?'_ Glancing to Chara, who shrugged, completely at a loss, Frisk cocked his head to the side and curiously asked a similar question to what started this conversation off.

"I told you what my _imaginary_ friend was like… so what is yours like?"

Once again, the lizard looked to the other boy in surprise, though this time, with a peculiar _reservation_. He shifted his eyes from side to side before leaning forward and speaking, as if he was passing on a treasured secret. Despite himself, Frisk found himself inclining also, and he could see Chara in his periphery doing the same beside him.

"He's not pretty like I bet yours is! Nah, he's a handsome _dude_! Wanna know why? Cause he looks just like _me_! Ha… Except… kinda grey… like he stays in the _complete_ dark _all the time_! Weird, huh? Why would I have an imaginary friend like that? I dunno… Anyway… dude! Yours is Chara, right? Mine is called G-… _W-Wo-Woshua_!"

The lulling, conspiratorial tone with which Sid told the pair about his friend shattered like glass, his sudden exclamation at the end knocking the two to their backsides in fright.

"*Urgh… that's the _last_ straw! Shouting all of a sudden when we're that close! Is this a prank?!" Chara whined, rubbing her hand delicately where she now sat on the ground. As the two children fell, their hands had wrenched awkwardly as they fell either way, forcing them to let go of each other.

Thankfully, Frisk at least had not been hurt, although he could not offer a worded response, winded as he was. Looking dolefully up at the perpetrator, he felt the trickle of annoyance to see not an ounce of contriteness on his face. Outlined by the shining crystals above, he was too focused on _something_ behind them.

The irritation seeped away when Sid returned his gaze to Frisk, eyes filled with an animated dread. "Dude! Frisk, right?! We _have_ to _hide_! Now dude!"

Scrambling to get up at these words, Frisk made sure first to pull up a struggling Chara, both children for the moment uncaring of the present company, before fearfully regarding Sid with his full attention.

"What, _why_ Sid?! What's coming?!" The boy's terrified words seemed only to deflate the lizard, who stopped bouncing on his feet, instead recoiling. He looked between Frisk and whatever it was behind the boy with one, scrunched up eye.

"Too late…"

It was suddenly all quiet, Frisk noted with a gulp. He turned around, expecting the worst.

* * *

-O-

"You _filthy_ cretins!"

This warbling, angry accusation, along with the pattering of little feet was the only warning any of the children received before they were all suddenly doused in what Chara felt to be pleasantly warm _water_.

The thoughts that immediately cropped up however were twofold; indignation at the fact her clothes and hair were now sodden, and relief that neither Sid nor the monster that presented itself before them noticed how an invisible person was splashed also.

' _*At least Frisk has a jacket… I wish_ I _did…_ ' She thought dolefully for a moment, before focusing on the problem at hand.

He was… strange, anatomically. Even by her standards. Chara had never seen an animated, quadrupedal _bird bath_ before, much less one that was green, purple, and sporting a vacantly angry face, which was attached to a spherical green head. Evidently, his points of concern were the dirty, sandy smears on all of their clothes, resultant of the near-miss with Undyne earlier, or so the girl reasoned from his words.

To top it off, there was a small yellow bird sat within the creature's hollowed out, water-filled back, rocking back and forth with the motion of his host contentedly.

The girl could not pay it any more mind however, as even though she was blankly transfixed with the sight of the creature's appearance, its grating voice was such that it could snap anyone out of anything.

" _Wash_ yourselves!" Immediately after the creature cried out once again, it breathed in sharply, holding the accrued air for but a moment. It was all Chara needed to figure out what was going to happen, and as she leapt out of the way she could hear both Frisk and Sid gasp as they were doused once again.

Although uncomfortable herself with her dripping clothes clinging to her body, she couldn't help but snigger at the sight of her partner, stood with his arms splayed out, eyes covered by his wet hair as water fell in rivulets from him.

' _*Well, at least this guy_ seems _harmless, but is he going to_ keep _doing that…?_ ' As if in response to her thoughts, the creature drew in yet another large breath of air, keeping its beady black eyes trained on the two boys.

Before Chara could think of a solution, a desperate Frisk lifted his drenched arms and waved them toward the creature pleadingly. "P-please! W-whoever you are! St-!" For his trouble, the boy received the brunt of the next stream of water, mostly to the face.

"It's WOSH…ua!" Squawked the now-named bathtub, who huffed ostensibly at the fact Frisk did not know his name. For a creature that barely came up to Frisk and Chara's waist, he certainly had a _huge_ disposition!

It did not take long for Woshua to begin readying another torrent of water, to which Frisk beseeched once again to try and stop. "Just let it happen dude… he'll stop eventually…" Came the quiet, defeated voice of Sid, who was stood next to the other boy with his eyes tightly shut.

' _*Fat lot of good he's doing now! I have to… come on, think!'_ Chara's mind raced to think of a solution. Despite Frisk's passivity and his pleas for mercy, Woshua seemed pretty content to continue 'washing' the two boys. So, if a _kind_ request wasn't going to work… then something else?

"P-please mister Woshua! Aren't we clean enough?" The human boy's foolish words were returned with a stream of even greater force, as if he had told a bold-faced lie.

Indeed, the little bathtub hopped lightly on his little green feet, incensed at the apparently absurd claim. "Enough? _Enough?!_ Do you know where you are boy? The wishing room! You need to be _clean_ to pay your respects! Or else it becomes the _washing_ room instead! Understand?!" After his quick-fire admonishment, Woshua fired another jet of water, as was only customary.

At this, Chara stopped her musing in favour of looking around in surprise. With an odd, sinking feeling, she realised he was right- the densely packed glowing crystals above shining like the Milky Way, the ghostly-blue echo flowers sprouting out of the dark gritstone walls on the far side of the cavern.

Transfixed, she gazed around in recognition, hardly noticing how Frisk was now looking directly at her in desperation.

This place was important, almost _sacred_ to the monsters, and Chara remembered vividly the first time Asriel had brought her here.

* * *

 _-O-_

" _Come on Chara! I want to show you_ this _place!"_

" _*How can whatever is in_ there _possibly be better than the glowing swamps behind us, Az?"_

" _Just hurry up! I promise it's good, you'll see!"_

" _*…"_

" _See-! I told you! This is the_ wishing room _! We all make our prayers and wishes here… I guess it's in the name, huh?"_

" _*I…"_

" _Let me guess, you're_ completely _amazed, right?"_

" _*…It is… very nice."_

" _Wha-at?! Aww, c'mon! This is supposed to be super cool and_ sacred _and all that, and you look about as impressed as you did at my ultra-cool drawing!"_

" _*Well, it was pretty scribbly."_

" _Nonsense! It was me! The ultimate warrior of hyperdeath! There can be no better drawing in the whole-wide-world!"_

" _*Uh huh. Anyway… Asriel, how is this different to the caverns from before? All the echo flowers by the pools?"_

" _Well… look up! Remember what dad always says? About how we monsters always made wishes to the stars?"_

" _*Yeah…?"_

" _A-and since there aren't any down here, we use this room, since it's so dark and private, except for the stones up above!"_

" _*But… we were saying our wishes all the way through to here. What's so different about making your wishes in here?"_

" _You don't tell them to anyone. You know, like we were doing… Here, you keep them to yourself, the stars and the echo flowers. Gotta tell the flowers so they can keep repeating the wish to the stars when we're gone! Dad says that means that when the same wish is heard over and over, and by more people… it_ must _come true! Neat, right?"_

" _*I… Guess so…"_

" _Alright! I'll make the first one!"_

 _As Asriel finished whispering his wish to the closest flower, the girl slowly made her way to the flower next to his. She could not help but hear it respond to the youthful boss monster's words._

"…I wish my sister and I will see the real stars someday…"

 _In a time far in the future, this would have brought tears to the distraught human's eyes. In this time, it only frosted her wounded heart._

 _Asriel was not to know yet however, standing there smiling, yet urgent._

" _C'mon_ si-is _! Make a wish!"_

 _And so she did._

" _*I wish that one day, everyone down here will be freed from this prison…_ **One way or another.** "

* * *

-O-

Ignoring the incisive chill that reverberated down her spine at the memory, Chara yoked her focus back to what was in front of her. After everything, she thought she could change, fix what was.

She couldn't let Frisk, or her brother down now.

Wiping the influx of tears from her eyes, she looked between Woshua and the boys, watching how the attacking monster seemed repulsed by their appearance when he _wasn't_ 'washing' them, but _pleased_ when he was.

With the memories of the adventures with her brother in-mind, something occurred to her; she had secretly been planning on possibly surprising Frisk with this as they journeyed into the glowing marsh, and figured it could be useful now.

Chara's expression slowly became devious- the ground was wet and muddy with all of Woshua's torrents. But for her _dirty_ plan to work, she had to get his guard down!

"*Frisk, try telling him about how… we played in the marsh, and ate butterscotch pie with our bare hands! How we're so dirty, we even swam around in it!"

She recalled how Toriel had been _quite_ angry with her and Asriel for this, how they had to walk all the way back to New Home in their underwear because their clothes baked rock-solid upon their re-entry into Hotland.

They were a sight, and although neither of the boys before her were _quite_ as dirty, the implications of it she knew would incense Woshua to no-end, given how neurotic he already demonstrated himself to be.

As it was, Frisk regarded her with an expression which would have not been amiss in such a situation had she grown an extra head, or turned into an _ostrich_. To her satisfaction however, the boy reluctantly relayed her words to the monster, flinching in anticipation.

And rightly so. " _No-o!_ How could you be so _dirty?!_ _Wa-ash!"_ Screamed Woshua, who sprayed a final volley so intense that it knocked both Frisk and a screeching Sid down to the dirty ground, inadvertently reversing all of the monster's efforts.

"D-dude! _What_ are you doing?! He's never gonna let us go if you say stuff like that!" Moaned the lizard-boy. Frisk, who despite his utmost faith in Chara, was wondering just _what_ possessed her to suggest goading him further.

Locating her behind the soaked-hair which clung to his eyes, he ignored Sid's questions in favour of gawking in terror at what she was doing. He didn't dare shout for her to stop- her preservation still paramount despite the disaster that was about to unfold.

Chara grinned as she managed to scrape enough mud and grit from the cavern floor to fill both her hands. Despite the effort, she was pleased she had the strength to manage, and threw with all her might toward the unsuspecting Woshua.

 _Splat!_

The thrown glob of mud had not maintained form, instead splattering the walking water-fountain from head to toe with sandy, cloying _dirt_.

The girl exhaled deeply from the exertion; the triviality of it in her head, that merely picking up some mud and throwing it would tire her out like _this_ made her grit her teeth in anger, as she quickly brought her insensate arms to catch herself from falling forward.

Looking up, her snarl became a grin as she saw Woshua, frozen in place.

At first, his simple expression was blank; mouth-open, eyes wide and unmoving. A moment later, he began to shake, with what Chara initially thought was fright- she had intended for the monster to become agitated and flee at the sensation of the hated dirt on his body.

How wrong she was.

The victorious look she had been preparing to flash to her partner quickly became one of fear, as the trembling Woshua began to shriek, enraged.

And they thought a hosing-down was the height of cleansing. The water in the little monster's hollow-back _boiled_ , and steam started to rise thickly from it. His bird-companion seemed unfazed as spouts of superheated vapour shot upward around it, waving around like snakes from where it sat, floating.

" **I will wash your** _ **soul!**_ _"_ Screeched an irate Woshua, advancing toward the boys.

Chara could only watch as Frisk and Sid cried in terror, a mixture of guilt and horror coursing through her as she tried to garner the strength to stand.

* * *

-X-

"Dude. I _told_ you we should have just let him do it… but did you listen?! _No-o!_ "

Frisk, glancing dully at a very sheepish Chara, merely shook his head. "I guess not… at least he dried us up afterward…"

"It wasn't worth it though was it?! Man… if Undyne were here, she'd beat him up for us!"

To Frisk's relief, Sid did not seem to hold the mistake, or the ensuing punishment received against him. Not even the light-burns tingling across their skin could dampen the lizard's spirits, as he looked up to the ceiling with stark excitement.

The human-boy found himself slowly looking back to his partner, whose doleful eyes full of regret betrayed the half-smile she wore. Shaking his head, he easily let go of his irritation, emulating her trademark grin, smiling back.

At first she seemed shocked, but Chara slowly matched his expression, her eyes now articulating stunned wonderment.

It was nothing to Frisk- whilst he was disappointed that she _had_ in-essence resorted to _attacking_ Woshua, they were all still in one-piece. The angry cleaner had stepped up a notch, scorching them with steam instead of the comparatively pleasant jets beforehand. Whilst it had served to leave them pristine clean, especially after the monster followed up with a 'sauna-wash' as he had called it, the resulting itching burns might have soured his mood.

But he was above that. She had tried to help, even if in this situation they should have just listened to Sid!

For now, Frisk furtively reached for Chara's hand, and she, despite her abashment, took it. He smiled, and agreed silently with her clenched-fist query, to forever bury the 'Woshua incident' into forbidden-conversation. Never would they take a talking bird-bath's demands lightly ever again.

As Sid lightly tapped his shoulder with his tail, both the human-children were thrown back into reality, and Frisk chided himself for once-again dropping the façade before present company.

"U-uh… yes Sid? Sorry, I was… elsewhere...?" The boy stuttered, swivelling to face his more corporeal companion, who was fortunately half-distracted with the lights above.

"Dude! _You_ should make a wish! This is the _wishing room_ after all!"

Frisk blinked, his expression turning blank as Chara drew a sharp breath beside him. ' _A wish?_ '

Despite his partner tugging and squeezing his hand to pull his attention, he responded to Sid's statement with his usual intelligence.

"Huh?"

"Du-ude! You've _never_ made a wish here?! Haha! Ha… Wait… you're serious?!" Upon Frisk's slow nod, Sid gawked at him in dismay, only to quickly and forcefully invade the human's personal space.

It took all the boy had, in addition to a significant amount of support from a gasping, exclaiming Chara to not fall over as the lizard _slammed_ into his abdomen, wrapping his scaly tail around his torso and jerking him away, toward the wall.

If there was any extra dead-weight for Sid to feel as he dragged an awkwardly-stumbling Frisk and Chara toward the array of echo flowers in the far-wall of the cavern, he did not show it. Instead, upon reaching the objective, the lizard pulled his gripping tail from Frisk so swiftly, it left the human boy spinning, and the unseen girl sprawling on the dirt-floor.

Frisk could just about hear Chara's irritable voice as he attempted to garner his bearings- he was seeing both stars that weren't there, and the gemstone variety up above!

"*I swear, if he doesn't stop doing stuff like that… I'll make that snowball feel like a pea-shot!"

The boy did not have much time to think on her uttered curse, as the full-force of Sid the monster-kid demanded his attention.

"R-right dude! You just go up to these flowers, and make a wish! _Don't tell me what you wish for though!"_ The lizard stressed the last part by once again pushing himself so close to Frisk's face that the human-boy could make out the veins in his serpentine eyes.

At Frisk's meek nodding and squeaks of acquiescence, Sid seemed to regain his sense of social propriety, finally putting some distance between the two with an awkward giggle. "Uh… sorry about that dude… just like, this is important, you know? The _king_ says everyone's gotta do it, so… Make a wish to the echo flowers, _then_ we can go see Undyne!"

With how self-assured Sid was about it, Frisk knew that he would have to comply with his demands. Looking around, he finally allowed himself to take in the surrounding environment.

The blue flowers, which Frisk assumed were the 'echo flowers' the lizard-boy and Chara had spoken of earlier, sprouted out of the smooth wrinkles of the wall. Despite the glow from above, the wall seemed to reflect very little of the light, giving it the appearance of a cloudy night-sky. As he looked upward, he could now fully appreciate the display.

He couldn't help but gasp; there were so many! Even on the surface, the night never looked _this_ pretty! Even as he had scaled the mountain, the glow of the nearby city meant that there weren't too many stars in the sky. At least, not as many as _this!_

Frisk thought it looked like wisps of sparkling fog, clumping in some places to look almost like an amorphous moon, and thinning in others to make even the smallest stone seem to shine brighter than the sun.

Gulping as he heard Sid's impatient cough, the boy levelled his gaze back to the wall. To his relief, Chara had returned to his side- but when he surreptitiously attempted to retake her hand, she avoided his grasp, prompting him to try and pretend looking at the wall behind her as he both tried to avoid Sid's suspicion, and express his puzzlement to _her_.

"*Frisk, you… need to make this wish on your own. That means I can't be with you! Just… go to the flower, and whisper it, that's all. Remember what I told you before though… they'll speak _back_."

He wanted to ask why he had to do it alone- her last words troubled him. He wanted to ask why he couldn't just _tell_ them both, and what they had wished for themselves. So it was, with a sigh and a sad pout that he brushed past Sid, leaving both his companions behind to reach the wall.

Whilst he was tempted to gaze at the ceiling for a little while longer, Frisk did not want to risk any more irritation, and instead levelled his eyes before him as he slowly approached.

 _Eerie_ would be too kind a word for the boy to describe it by; the flowers, and there were _hundreds_ of them, seemed to wave in tandem to an unfelt wind, and as he got closer, he could _hear_ them.

Whispers.

It was as if a creeping miasma washed over him as he got near. They were just about decipherable- uncountable wishes, hopes and dreams spoke to him. Were he not already knowledgeable, he would have assumed they were _accusations_ , the sharp, emotional way in which they were delivered.

Biting his lip, opening and closing his fist, Frisk walked until he found one, just about his mouth-level, dancing carefree in the false wind.

He mused agitatedly on what to say. With all the other wishes repeating themselves endlessly around him, an errant thought prodded- ' _What is the point? It'd be lost forever to this place!'_

It was an easy realisation for him, remembering what both his companions had said. That _was_ the point. They were _all_ wishing the same thing.

To see the real stars. To see the real sun, to feel the real breeze. In truth, he'd be telling all these desperate voices what they wanted to hear. And they'd truly believe him in time, this he _knew_.

"I wish that me and Chara can get to the barrier, so we can set _everybody_ free!"

* * *

-S-

She was picking up the pace.

Although Papyrus seemed to have missed them, and indeed had not made comment on it for the duration of their renewed pursuit, there was _no_ way Undyne had not seen Frisk in the grass earlier!

' _the other kid, sid i think it was? he couldn't hide himself even if we were blind and deaf!'_ Sans thought, his mind racing.

As it was, the captain of the guard was making her way to a chokepoint in the tunnels- a winding wooden walkway that the children would _have_ to cross in order to get over the river. The only other path through this part of Waterfall was the tunnel overlooking said walkway from the riverbanks; the dark sediments and stalactites would hide the children's assailant until it was far too late.

Neither of the brothers were naïve enough to believe Frisk would have a chance if she got there first- it was not as if the boy was clairvoyant, or particularly agile.

"MAYBE HE WILL HAVE GOT THROUGH THERE ALREADY, AND THERE WILL BE NOTHING TO FEAR!"

Even Papyrus' persevering optimism couldn't hide his worry in this moment. They could just about spot Undyne's armour glinting in the distance, the increasing light of the caverns now fully preventing any form of stealth.

Not that she was trying to be sneaky. The clanking and screaming metal plates on her greaves and faulds produced such a cacophony, one would be forgiven for thinking there was a factory operating deeper in the tunnels.

He couldn't delay it any longer. With a sigh, he closed his eyes and prepared.

"bro, i gotta ask. if it comes to _it_ , will you have what it takes?"

Whilst he had worded it as gently as possible, something like this had to be to the point. Whilst his brother always believed in the best outcome, even to the point of blunt-ignorance, Sans knew that in this case, with _him_ asking, that he would put it aside. He had done so once already, after all.

Maybe it would be for the best, in the end. Breaking his enthusiasm. Even if Sans treasured him as he was.

"I… DO NOT UNDERSTAND? OF COURSE I HAVE WHAT IT TAKES! NO CHALLENGE IS TOO DIFFICULT! NO MOUNTAIN TOO TALL! NO PUZZLE TOO PUZZLING! NO SPAGHETTI TOO SPAGHETTI-ING! NO-"

"you do, papyrus."

"I… HAH… I… I DON'T KNOW, SANS."

"you already know what she'll do, and i ain't pullin' ya leg here, bud. you had it all figured out before, and we let him go because of it, remember?"

"I DO. BUT SANS… UNDYNE IS MY FRIEND TOO! AND I DON'T KNOW IF I CAN… CHOOSE."

"you don't have to choose. we just have to stop her, otherwise frisk ain't gonna be anyone's friend anymore."

"SANS."

"i'm telling you pap, you need to take this at face-value. there's something fishy about your friend, and it ain't because she stinks. you heard the way she spoke, she's gonna _**kill him**_."

" _SANS."_

He had to twist the knife further, as much as it pained him.

"and that ain't even the end of it. if she figures out _we_ were harbouring him? you know how she is. unless we get this _right_ , she'll stick us in the dungeon back at new home until you wish you were never born."

" _ **S a n s**_ **.** "

This time, he knew he had driven it home. Sans turned toward his brother, who stood stock-still in the middle of the pathway. They had both stopped running the moment he had confronted Papyrus with what the _real_ circumstances were.

Opening his eyes, he regarded his brother with his never-ending smile, half-expecting, half- _hoping_ him to be angry.

The tall skeleton however demonstrated no signs of anger, or even any identifiable emotion at all. He merely had his eyes closed, his teeth clenched tightly. For a moment, he stood there, still, as Sans watched.

As moments tend to do, it passed quickly, and Papyrus fixated Sans with a glare worlds-apart to the ones of annoyance he would normally subject his punslinging brother to.

"I _KNOW_. JUST… SANS. CAN YOU TRUST ME?"

"…pap?"

"DO YOU TRUST ME? PLEASE, ANSWER THE QUESTION."

It was a hard ask- Papyrus was not normally this pressing. But then again, neither was he.

Of course Sans trusted him, but this was different, wasn't it? Even as reserved as he normally was in his outward appearance, he could not help but flinch. His eyes went dark, and his smile was more of a grimace. This, unfortunately told Papyrus all he needed to know before he could even defend himself.

"WELL. I'LL _PROVE_ IT TO YOU. YOU THINK I DON'T HAVE WHAT IT TAKES? WELL, BROTHER, I CAN DO _ANYTHING_! NYEH! YOU'LL SEE!"

Despite his seeming return to positivity, Sans could tell he had been hurt. "wait, pap!"

"HURRY IT UP, LAZYBONES! OR DO YOU NOT WANT TO SEE YOURSELF BE PROVEN WRONG?"

He had nearly made it out of sight already. Sans guffawed under his breath, shaking his head and slouching, hands in pockets. "you already know i'd give anything for that bro."

A blue flicker later, and the skeletons were both back on the pursuit, more incensed than ever.

* * *

-O-

She had heard what he said. Although Frisk was often gentle and quiet in diction, his wish had vociferously resounded throughout the whole cavern.

It hadn't taken long for _all_ the flowers to start chattering with his promise.

She could imagine most other monsters would be mortified, even angry with his apparent disrespect. It wasn't hard to see- Toriel would be scolding, Asgore… would be chiding, if lightly so. Asriel would be a mixture of the two, telling him off!

But she?

Chara had instead felt something else. Was it… pride? Or something else? The girl could _not_ help herself but beam at him when he walked back to them, slightly embarrassed, but otherwise unashamed. It didn't matter that to anyone else, his promise might sound ridiculous. Suspicious.

She had wanted to hug him, _itched_ to do so, and would have said something, present company be _damned_. It was theirs. Their _promise_.

With the voices of the Underground agreeing, and light behind him, Chara felt… It was indescribable. And as he smiled, she suddenly _didn't_ know what to say. Trembling. She hardly noticed as his face seemed to flush, and start to shiver also.

As always though, the aforementioned present company intervened.

Sid had heard it also. "Du-ude… I know you're meant to keep it to yourself, but _wow_ …. And here I thought wanting to be cool like Undyne was a good one…" The lizard boy confessed wistfully, snapping both humans out of their gawking contest.

' _*What_ was _that?_ ' Chara asked herself, still torn between her reverie. It kept happening, moments like this- the longer she was with Frisk, the more it happened. It would be maddening if it weren't so…!

She had no word for it.

Bringing herself to the situation at hand, she struggled to get such thoughts out of her head. Chara knew Frisk felt it too, she could see him wrestle with the same problem. A flushed face indicating he was hot, even though it was fairly lukewarm in this part of the caverns. Shaking as if in terror, but there was nothing to be afraid of.

Why was she afraid then, to discuss it with him?

They shared everything didn't they?

…

Once again, reality sought to tear them away from their introspective dilemmas- Sid wasn't one to know. No, the lizard-boy only knew half of the story, and from his pedestal, it looked like Frisk was away with the fairies.

And so he bonked the poor boy on the head with his tail.

"Yowch! What was… Sid…!" Frisk whimpered, pouting in such a way to make Chara think very _different_ thoughts to that of his true predicament!

"Yo! Snapped you out of it, didn't it? C'mon, let's get out of here… We've been held up too long! We might miss her!"

"…Who?"

Sid received Frisk's temporary amnesia poorly. "Wha-at?! Dude, c'mo-on! _Undy-yne_! Only the coolest, toughest, most powerful monster this side of the Underground! Didn't you wanna come see her beat-up _bad guys_?"

Finally, both the human children landed with both feet firm on the ground, and the anxiety ate at both their stomachs once again.

"*Right, because apparently _Frisk_ is the bad guy…" Chara muttered idly, which only served to deflate her partner's posture even further.

"U-umm… Sid, did you say you had a hiding s-spot up ahead? To see Undyne?" Frisk asked stutteringly, to which the lizard-boy responded by regarding him with an aghast expression.

"Well of _course_ I do! Remember that super-cool hiding spot back in the grass earlier? This one is _even_ _better!_ C'mon dude, I'll show you!"

The lizard's excited statement reassured neither human in the slightest- the previous 'hiding spot' had been nothing short of a terrifying ordeal for the both of them. Chara still wondered how Undyne had not spotted _Sid_ ; if he thought he had any sort of camouflage, yellow as he was, against that grass… Then she would have to suggest he get his head checked!

In fact, she would have done just that had she the proper means. Regrettably, Frisk was far too polite to utter such a thing.

Or maybe he wasn't? "Sid… this hiding spot isn't just a clump of grass again, is it?" To Chara's dismay, the monster-kid regarded Frisk as if he just been caught with his hand in the cookie-jar.

She had to resist the urge to groan louder than she did, barely hearing as Sid babbled out an excuse to her now petrified partner. "W-well this one's _cooler_! And… the grass is taller, and there's more of it, and… well uh… why does it matter, dude?"

 _That_ left Frisk tongue-tied. As he looked to Chara for help, she could find nought to suggest but to shrug and shake her head in disbelief.

Mustering as supportive a grin as she could, she stated the only thing they could do. "*There is only one way through I guess… We'll have to hope for the best. We can do this, partner."

At least it put a smile back on his face. Frisk splayed out his left hand by his side, and she took it wordlessly, watching as he turned to Sid, who looked mildly curious at his antics. Not that either of them particularly cared anymore- the imminent situation drew thoughts of façade out of mind.

"I-I guess it doesn't. You know where to go… right?" Frisk asked, gently. Sid seemed to limber himself up, holding himself high at the other boy's words.

"Well of _course_ I do! C'mon, it's through here!"

* * *

-X-

The monster-kid led Frisk and Chara out of the wishing room and into an adjoining tunnel, far wider than the one they had entered the room from. The boy was sad to leave the room behind- it had been a sight to behold when he got a chance to take it all in!

There was a soft, yet nagging feeling that the stars hadn't been the prettiest thing he saw in there though.

Disallowing himself from thinking more on this, he instead focussed intently on the new environment they found themselves in. Although it was far more spacious than the previous areas, the area in which the children could walk was far less so.

The calm ambience of flowing water permeated and echoed throughout the tunnel, as below their feet rushed the river, or at least one of its tributaries. They stood upon a wooden platform, which to the boy's private relief was sturdy and fresh-looking.

Sid started to walk ahead of them, the excitement clear in his gait. As they passed fully into the tunnel, Frisk almost missed the carved plaques indented into walls closest to them, on their left. The lizard-boy took no notice, and although he was curious as to their contents, Frisk could neither read, nor did he initially want to hold up the overexcited monster-kid any further.

Chara though, he noticed was observing them with interest. He guessed, judging from her puzzled expression that they had been placed after…

' _Well, at least she doesn't know everything, right?'_ Frisk thought half-jokingly, half-apprehensive. Of course things had changed, but he had been taking _comfort_ in Chara's foreknowledge.

Watching her with a slight smile, he noted how she seemed to take it all in rapidly. Looking between her and the increasingly distant Sid, he had almost mustered the gumption to ask her what they said, before spotting her reaction to the _last_ plaque imbedded in the wall, just before the tunnel widened too far for further writings.

Following her open-mouthed, mesmerised expression, he noticed that the last sign wasn't in writing at all. Instead, there was an illustration- a strange figure, outlined in the fluorescent green of the drawing material.

Frisk thought the top-half looked a bit like Toriel- the large, dangling ears, and horns to boot, but that was where the similarities ended. Its lower half looked like nothing in the boy's imagining; strange, almost mechanical hands… and where were its legs? The expression it sported though…

Unsettling would be too soft a word to ascribe to it, Frisk thought, tearing his gaze away from the drawing finally and squeezing his partner's hand, snapping her out of the reverie it cast over her. Looking into her eyes, the boy could surmise that Chara _knew_ what it was. As she returned his gaze, he merely nodded at her.

She nodded back. _Later_ , was the unspoken word between them as they clenched one-another's hands again, trying to catch up to the blissfully ignorant Sid.

They continued to walk in silence, both humans breathing in unconscious tandem with one another, whilst the monster-kid seemed to become more and more excited, his erratic footsteps echoing above the cacophony of the water below.

It was then that Frisk felt it.

An odd, prickling sensation on the back of his neck, and although Chara was not yet showing any outward reaction, she could feel it too.

Dread pooled at the bottom of Frisk's stomach. The ambient light provided by the intermittent crystals above seemed to dim, and the sound of rushing water seemed to quieten.

Unsettled, he opened his mouth to ask where Sid's hiding spot was.

And felt his body lurch forward, though not from tripping or from Chara pushing him- it felt as if a hand had _grabbed_ him by the heart!

He could not think to even _choke_ , as nary a second later, Frisk felt something brush swiftly behind his head.

That something lodged itself halfway up to the hilt in the wall to their right, making barely a crunch as it struck. With a rapidly sinking feeling, adrenaline flowing to his legs, Frisk knew what it was.

She had finally found them.

* * *

-S-

Just managed.

Whilst Papyrus deflected the follow-through, Sans pushed all three kids out of the way from the initial volley.

The short skeleton grinned lightly as Undyne swivelled to see just who had stopped her assassination, only for it to become tighter as the captain turned back to her task at hand. The jig was finally up.

"and just about time, too." Sans uttered, sweat beading upon his forehead as he pushed Chara, who was trying to spot them in the darkness, up to her feet, giving her some momentum to start running. He noted with a smile that although Sid had run ahead, and despite the fact the boy _knew_ he was the target, Frisk had stayed behind to help his partner up.

It was probably better if they _didn't_ see them fighting back against Undyne, though he suspected the glowing-blue bones thrown by Papyrus would have probably already given them away! Sans focused past these thoughts, tensing his body- couldn't think about this right now.

After all, he had a promise to keep.

Lift. Drag. Shift. Deflect.

A save here. A pick-up there. Throwing a bone where Papyrus missed one. It was becoming disconcertedly evident just how much _**it**_ had cost him.

Sans could feel it. The more he did, the more he _wasn't_ up to this- he hadn't even prepared for combat, thinking naïvely that Papyrus could maybe cool Undyne's jets, so that this wouldn't need to happen at all.

Panting as he nudged Frisk out of a spear's trajectory for the fifth time, he was incredibly relieved to see that they had almost made it to the grass at the far end of the tunnel.

Just as he was about to slouch and sigh in victory, Undyne changed her game.

Dousing her final volley with a resounding growl, the captain leapt from where she stood, all the way to the walkway where the kids were.

Seeing Papyrus lunge forward desperately, Sans put all he could into holding her in place. Whilst his brother formed a barrier of bones before her, the short skeleton made to hold Undyne so tightly to the ground, that she could not move in that moment.

He idly thought that if the kids were to look behind them now, they would see a roaring but impotent knight held back by some flimsy bones. Sans couldn't tell whether to chuckle in amusement at the vision, or consider that to Frisk, it would probably be _less_ than funny.

The short skeleton, strained as he were, found himself inclined to the former, until despite his best efforts, Undyne started to _move_.

One step. Two steps. With each succeeding footstep, Sans felt his grip unravel. Then, as if a person clinging for their life to a ledge suddenly let go, the lazy skeleton was thrown _violently_ backward with the feedback of losing control, his prey slipping from his hands.

Shakily lifting his head in time to see the captain swat aside Papyrus' barrier with ease, he took comfort in the fact that he could neither feel nor see his charges any more. It would seem, for now, that they had escaped.

They had been successful. Or so he hoped.

With that thought, Sans drifted gently into unconsciousness.

* * *

 **-X-**

 **A/N:** Not dead. Sorry this took so long. The proper note will be at the end of the next chapter. See you in a little bit!


	26. Ambush

Chapter Twenty-Six – Ambush

 **A/N: To my dear followers- this is the second upload today, check the previous chapter if you haven't read it yet!**

* * *

-O-

She had seen them.

At first, Chara felt a surge of anger, the sickly upwelling of betrayal. The girl would recognise those bones from anywhere, glowing as they were. They flew from the far-side of the tunnel, their origin hidden obscured by the dark.

But Papyrus wasn't the only one attacking.

It was _her_. In addition to the bones were the spears- Chara could _see_ them, either changing path mid-flight, or colliding with the bone-javelins. To the girl's mixed-relief, the skeleton's volleys were _not_ aimed at Frisk or Sid.

However, the much faster, much more deadly-looking spears quite clearly _were_. And Papyrus could not hit all of them it would seem.

Were it any other situation, Chara would attempt to analyse the _third_ factor in the equation here. She _knew_ it was no latent ability of Frisk or hers that allowed them to subconsciously and psychokinetically _jump_ out of harm's way!

Sans. The girl scowled to herself as she ran; the girl had already known the comedic-skeleton was hiding things. Sure, everyone had something to hide, and _she_ had evidently buried some things so far into the recesses of her mind, that she could no-longer quite recall them!

But Sans? Something like this? Chara knew he was hedging his bets. About _Frisk_ though?

He couldn't hurt a fly. As much as she admired her partner, he desperately needed her help to make and find his way. He depended on his newfound friends for help- Sans was no exception.

And her? She was incorporeal. She couldn't quite explain the recent developments, but she was impotent. Harmless. Not that being with Frisk made her want to do anything, except when those things did harm to _him_.

Like they were right now.

The girl buried her thoughts once again. _'*I swear I'm becoming paranoid…'_ She half-heartedly admonished herself. There was something much more pressing to deal with.

Sid hadn't been lying; his new 'hiding-spot' was far better than the last. The foliage was thicker, the stems broader, sprouting leaves along their lengths. They rose up much further too; Chara was certain even Asgore could hide in here!

It didn't make it any easier to move through though, when speed was most critical.

"*We… _-huff-_ … have to move… _faster_ … Frisk!" She was breathless, and her heart was hammering in her chest. Fear racked through the girl, and seeing her partner look back at her with an expression which conveyed these exact feelings, it only prompted her to spur him further.

 _She_ was catching up.

"O- _oh_ man! Dude! Undyne is coming _right toward us!_ " Either Sid was completely oblivious to the events behind them, or he was simply too excited at the prospect of witnessing his heroine up close to care. Whilst Frisk painstakingly made his way further into the grass, Chara attempting to stay close due to her handicap, the lizard-boy simply _stopped_.

The girl noticed this, but kept on going. Though she was not fully certain, she reasoned that since Sid was a monster, he would not be harmed if he were caught. Hoped, anyway- her partner was more important!

Frisk however, was evidently less certain. The boy stopped and laboriously turned to look over his shoulder when he finally realised that their companion was no longer following. Struggling to elicit the words behind his anxiety-fuelled hyperventilation, Frisk hoarsely cried for Sid to follow.

"S- _Sid!_ We… We have to go!"

"But dude! This is our best chance!"

"N-no! Undyne! She… _She'll-!"_

"*Frisk! L-let him be, we need to keep _quiet!_ "

Snapping out of his desperate but doomed attempt in persuasion by Chara's sharp, anxious voice, Frisk glanced at his partner in disbelief. Seeing the emotion in his eyes in that one moment, the girl pursed her lips- he obviously disagreed, but what happened next left no room for argument.

Watching his gaze as it rapidly developed from tight-concentration to abject _panic_ , Chara followed his eyes behind them.

Undyne was now directly behind them- the top of her helmet was unmistakeable over the top of the grass, and the racket her armour made was all the further indication they needed! Though they _knew_ it had been her assaulting them on the walkway, it was only now that they saw her. And she was _close_.

Behind the advancing knight, the girl caught sight of glinting white and blue light. Broken bones.

Whilst she was grateful that the skeletons seemed to have slowed her down, it didn't change that she was right on their tail.

 _Fear._

Chara could think of only one last thing, mind-racing as it was. "*Frisk! Get down! _Don't move a muscle!"_

To her utter relief, Frisk managed to catch her urgent whisper perfectly, quickly lying down prone between the grass stalks without too much disturbance, his face down and covered. Looking behind one last time to see Undyne's red ponytail cross over the edge of the foliage, and Sid practically _vibrate_ with excitement where he stood, it was all Chara could do not to _scream_.

She felt primal. Terrified. She knew, mentally that she would be unharmed. But it was for Frisk she was afraid, and the instinctive reaction such a _menacing_ presence had, coming for him. To kill him.

There was only one thing she could do now, and it was all she wanted to do. Chara fell in front of Frisk, hugging and covering his head with her arms and body- a futile attempt at protecting and comforting him.

Grasping his hair, and feeling him grip her legs tightly, she screwed her eyes and did the only thing one of their position could.

Cry.

She and her partner wept silently as the deep footsteps approached. Tears fell as they heard stalks swept and torn, dirt kicked.

Closer and closer it got. She could hear his breath hitch, and she hugged tighter.

Closer.

Louder.

…

Stop.

Chara bore her teeth, clenching as hard as she could, shaking as hard as she ever had.

The unmistakeable sound of metal plates, rending, stretching as a gauntlet reached toward them…-

…

"W-whoa, hey!"

Opening her eyes suddenly, but not daring to look behind them, Chara heard the sound of whooshing air, and _Sid's_ voice.

"W-w- _whoa!_ H-hi Undyne! C-c-can-can you p-put me d-down now p-please?! _AHH!"_

The monster-kid did not seem pained, and judging from just how _high-up_ his voice now sounded, Chara could only surmise that Undyne had picked him up. Both she and Frisk no longer shook, and remained absolutely still.

A growl. A huff. Resonating around, and with the metallic tone, the warrior sounded like an unholy _beast_. As Frisk's grip become almost painful, Chara could _feel_ the footsteps vibrating in the ground as Undyne began to… walk away.

"N-no! Please Undyne! Don't take me back to my parents! I-I-I can't be in trouble _again-_!"

Sid's pleading voice rapidly got quieter and quieter, and the captain's footsteps picked up in pace, also quieting. There was a distant _clang_ , and then nothing more.

And just like that, it was over.

…

Chara could _not_ believe it. The silence went on for what felt like hours to the girl, but neither she or Frisk let go, nor did they relinquish the force with which they gripped each other.

Then, with as small, crackling and watery a voice she had ever heard from him, Frisk whimpered her name into ground. "Chara…"

It was as if a floodgate opened inside her. Not since escaping her trials on the surface had she felt such raw _relief_. Frisk was safe, he was with her, he wasn't going to die.

And so she wailed. The boy, raising up from where he had pushed himself, met her with an equally tear-struck expression, reaching forward desperately to cling to her. And she to him.

Nothing else mattered right now.

* * *

-U-

Whilst Undyne registered the feeling of her sharp teeth cutting into her lips, she neither cared for the pain, nor did she pay any mind to the blood flowing down from the pinprick wounds they had cut.

The human had evaded her, leaving behind some poor pipsqueak as bait to distract her, while he made his getaway.

The thought of it, of how _close_ their goal was, and how frustrating he was being only made her gnash her teeth more fiercely.

But these grievances _paled_ in comparison to Papyrus' betrayal.

He and his worthless brother had prevented any semblance of a quick, clean and _merciful_ kill- the brat wouldn't have even _felt_ it as her spear clove his head in two. The soul would have been theirs; Undyne _knew_ neither skeleton would even _remember_ the kid once Asgore broke the barrier.

All their hopes and dreams, the blue skies and sun. Within reach.

She could not fathom why Papyrus, driven as he was to impress her, would forget that.

This went beyond mind-control, or some irresistible charisma; those powers would only get someone so far, she reasoned. They never seemed to in the documentaries Alphys showed her at least- control would last until the victim went against their very desire.

No. This was something more.

As she approached her friend, she could see the new defiance in his eyes. The meekness and conflict that was there before, no longer present.

Papyrus stood firmly upright, saluting her as she stood before him, wordlessly expecting an explanation.

"NOTHING TO REPORT, CAPTAIN. THE BEST INTERESTS OF THIS KINGDOM ARE BEING KEPT BY YOURS TRULY, THE GREAT PAPYRUS!"

Although he seemed to speak in his normal, positive tone, Undyne knew better. Outside of duty, they _were_ still best friends. There was a tightness to it, and he was unusually curt. As she got closer, he did not move backward, nor did he say any more. He simply looked her in the eye, and smiled.

Glancing at his brother laid by his feet, and then back to him, she chuckled.

The chuckling became laughter. Then howls, echoing out her armour and throughout Waterfall.

Her best friend, Papyrus, who was at his core the most innocently agreeable monster in the Underground, was now standing up to her! She would blame his brother, but Undyne knew he could only go so far. No.

Swivelling around wordlessly, laughter still escaping her mouth, the captain marched away. She could just about hear Papyrus pick up his brother and follow after her, but she no longer cared. They could interfere all they want; it would change nothing now.

If normal methods did not work, she would have to be more underhanded.

"H-hi Undyne! Y-you haven't told my parents, have y-you?"

Undyne smiled, and kneeled.

"Not yet kid. _But…_ I guess if you don't want me to… You could do me a favour instead? How about it?"

* * *

-X-

Frisk had begun to lose all sense of time before Chara shakily drew herself from his arms.

As he looked at her face, seeing her bloodshot, watery eyes, her flushed cheeks and the tremulous smile she adorned, the boy very nearly broke into tears once again. Dropping his head and resting it on her shoulder, he acutely felt as she grasped his hair, her fingers digging into his scalp.

A shuddering, deep sigh. The boy heard nothing else aside from his thundering heartbeat; it had not slowed since the chase, but now… He knew it was racing for an all-too different reason.

"Chara… I…" What was he saying?

"I…" He didn't know. _Something_. That feeling, chasing him. Compounded with the annulled fear, the desperation. Her eyes, afraid for him as they fell, hiding from the pursuer.

"*I… I _know_ Frisk, just… just a moment…" She whispered slowly, her voice barely audible to Frisk's ears. Pushing himself gently away from her, he grasped her chin with his hand, making her open her teary eyes once again to look at him.

Nothing was said. He looked into her, and she into him. He smiled, and so did she. Frisk didn't know how he must have appeared right now, but Chara began to shakily grin in _that_ familiar way, all lopsided. Only to hiccough loudly.

And he _laughed_. Laughed so hard he could hardly breathe- Frisk could _hear_ it echo down the tunnels it was so _loud_! But he didn't care. It was _release_. _Relief_.

It took an immeasurable amount of time to his confused perception before he could put on the brakes to his mirth. Wiping his eyes, he finally looked at his partner only to see her wearing an expression of what _appeared_ to be mortification. Though, to his relief, she could not quite hide the smile.

Nor the devious glint to her eye.

He recovered just in time with this revelation to be prepared for her _revenge_ ; Chara lunged at him, wrapping her arms around his torso and _crushing_ , forcefully pushing all the air out of his lungs!

Now sprawled on his back, Frisk was at the full mercy of his partner's _special attack_.

"N-no! No-no-not again! Hahaha!"

The nefarious, deadly _tickle monster_. He was completely defenceless against this, and she knew it. Frisk lay like harmless jelly beneath her as she tickled him under his shirt, beneath his arms and across his belly.

"*Not until you give-in…" Her voice was so deep and sly, so _pleased_ at how she reduced him to _this_. The perfect revenge.

"I give in! I-I give! _Please!"_ And just like that, she raised herself from him. He opened his eyes, still whimpering and twitching after his torture, seeing her grinning at him devilishly, her arms folded.

Now it was her turn to laugh, and she did so without constraint.

But Frisk felt neither indignant nor dismayed at her happiness. It made _him_ happy to see her like this, and so he smiled. Smiled that they were together. Smiled for their success, even if it was simply avoiding…

…He didn't want to think about it.

Frisk was still beaming at her when she stopped giggling; he hardly registered how she hiccoughed again when she looked at him, or how she seemed to flush as she stared.

"*W-well… That was fun, wasn't it partner? Should… Should we get going then? I would be surprised if nobody heard us doing that…"

The way she brushed her damp, dirty hair behind her ear. Her fingers brushing lightly over the ribbon he had tied in it. Her happiness turning to confusion.

"Heh…"

"*…Frisk? You there? Should we get going?" Despite her words, she sounded almost… regretful? It took the boy a moment to untangle his fuzzy thoughts. Chara looked so…

"*Frisk?"

"Uh-umm…Uh-yeah! S-sorry Chara! …Huh?" Watching as her bemused expression become dull, Frisk finally snapped out of his reverie, more than a little embarrassed!

"*… Should we… get going?"

"O-oh… Okay…! But…"

"*What's wrong, Frisk?"

Although he noticed _acutely_ the concern that dashed across her eyes, the upturn of her mouth, his return to normalcy brought back the stark reminder of the _other_ outcome of their ordeal.

"W-what about Sid?"

Chara stiffened, albeit barely. For but a moment, the girl stared at him, frowning slightly. Then, she closed her eyes, and sighed, slower and far more measured after last time.

"*I think… he'll be fine. Not that he was going to do us much good anyway… he might as well have stuck a huge 'attack me!' sign to our heads!" She reasoned, with a tone of faux-annoyance. Frisk frowned in response, pouting.

"Chara… he's… he's _our_ friend. What if he's…" He let his words end there. The boy didn't want to think the worst case scenario. His partner merely smiled, lopsided as always, but in understanding.

"*I don't think Undyne would make much of a captain if she went around hurting other monsters, let alone monster- _children_. I think… he'll be fine. I bet we'll meet him again- you'll see! In the meantime, we probably should get going… Sans and Papyrus will likely be waiting for us, after saving our skins!"

Frisk had barely noticed their intervention. He was rushing, pumped too full of adrenaline to notice. All he really saw was Chara being _lifted_ away from an oncoming spear, and the boy had steadied her, urging her along with him. Whilst he had been confused, he paid it no mind.

Nonetheless, he would make sure to give both skeletons a hug when he next met them; it was the least he could do in thanks for them watching their backs!

The boy smiled with this resolution, and at Chara's offered hand, he arose from the floor. She was right, they needed to keep moving. The lingering aftermath of the chase still chewed at his thoughts- he would rather they avoid _that_ happening again!

…

And so they walked, hand in hand as they loved to do. Closest of friends, of confidantes in this adventure.

' _Adventure…!'_ Frisk mused, grinning to himself. He had always dreamed of such things. An escape to a better world.

Which is why he travelled up the mountain.

' _No._ ' Now was not the time to think about such things. Shuddering, he clenched his partner's hand, bringing her concerned gaze over to him. He could deal with his problems _later_.

Noticing her continue watching him, Frisk flashed her a smile, and was relieved to see her smile back warmly, levelling back to the path ahead.

This prompted the boy to watch _her_ in turn- out of the corner of the eye so it didn't appear like he was gawking. She looked contented; clearly the ordeal from before was out of mind by now, simply happy with the way things were, flush.

He found this warmed him too. He readily admitted it before, and it had weight. But now…

Frisk sincerely didn't know what he'd do without her. He didn't want to think of a time where she wasn't with him.

Why was this? The boy tried his hardest not to tease _that_ part out.

The thoughts would bring that heat back, the lump to his throat. Make him so he looked _dumb_!

It was such that neither child noticed as they passed a grey door, standing seemingly out of place. Nor did they really notice how they approached the tunnel mouth, or how the cavern it led into was so, _so_ much bigger than the others. Both were lost in their respective reveries.

Would they have been surprised to find out their respective thoughts were for each other?

Nonetheless, the answer would have to wait. Locked as they were in their daydreams, neither child noticed the monster looking up at them. They did not notice that they were heading straight for them.

Said teardrop shaped monster noticed _them_ , but chose to say nothing as Frisk walked into him, proceeding to trip over the small-person with a startled yell, Chara crying out as her hand was pulled and wrenched violently with the velocity of the boy's accident.

"Serves you right for not paying attention! Hmph!" Quipped the cream-coloured monster, bouncing slightly on its stubby little feet. He had no discernible mouth, nor did he seem to have arms. His beady-black eyes were narrowed as they disdainfully watched Frisk rub his now even-dirtier head in pain, awkwardly pulling himself to his feet.

As per normal, their new company took no notice of Chara. "*Ugh… They could have told us we were about to… urgh…" The girl groaned in disgust, rubbing her now sore hand delicately. She soon forgot about the slight pain, instead looking around at the environment with an open-mouthed gaze.

Frisk however, was still reeling. "I-I'm sorry sir! I… should have been looking where I was going!" He defaulted to his usual and well-trained apologetic standard, eyes to his feet.

"It's Mister Loren, and apology accepted! Just make sure you keep your eyes down to the _ground_ as much as they are up there in future, m'kay?" Surprised at the mild tone offered, Frisk nodded vigorously, regretting it soon afterward at the dull pain from the _additional_ sore gleaned on his thick skull!

As he nodded however, the boy finally noticed where they were.

Starlight, twinkling stones, phasing in and out of sight with the glowing-turquoise mist hanging over the cavern they had entered. This particular one… Frisk could not see where it ended. If he did not know better, he would have thought they were outside!

But then the outside would not have bright glowing pools, opaque, and equal in colour to the mist. Winding through and around the water, as far as the eye could see were _marshes_.

They were nearly black in colour to the eye, but the boy surmised it to be because the pools were so _bright_ , and the strange, alien vegetation so dark-green. There were huge reeds, grasses similar to that they had taken refuge in earlier. Trees that shone with the blue-glow below them, thick trunks to accommodate their waterlogged locale. And there were some plants that glowed all different colours; some were scattered sparsely, though the faint-glow of echo flowers was ubiquitous, their whisperings permeating thinly through the calm hum of the swamp.

There were other monsters too, though they were far in the distance, and took no notice of what was happening here.

Returning his gaze upward, Frisk found himself instinctively reaching, as if to grasp one of the luminous stones and hold it.

"Stars…" He whispered. The boy frowned as he pondered them. Though this shimmering display was beautiful in its own way, he and Chara were going to show them the _real_ ones.

"What are… ' _stars'_?"

It was a question that caught him off guard, and as Frisk looked down to the curious Mister Loren, gawking at him, the boy found he could not easily answer his question.

After all, _he_ did not quite know what stars were either! But there was something he _did_ know. They were different to these, false ones. These imitations _were_ lovely, but…

"They… They're really far away, and twinkle, like these! But… there's so many _more_ of them up on the surface, and they're not all the same colour! Some can be bright, some can be almost red, others blue… And together, you can make out little shapes!" Frisk found himself smiling as he spoke, which only deepened as he felt a familiar hand take his once again.

He of course knew who it was without looking.

Opening his mouth to say more, he was stopped short by Loren. "But can you _eat_ them? _Kill_ them?"

The boy could not help but blink slowly at _that_. Nor could he quite keep himself from turning to Chara, who merely shrugged, bewildered as he was.

"I… uh… d-don't think so?" Came Frisk's intelligent answer. He'd never once thought of such a thing!

"Then what _good_ are they? They're just… there. No use to anybody!" This puzzled the boy even further.

' _Of course they're good! They're beautiful, even if we can never see them up close! How-_ ' Frisk's thoughts and budding response were both cut short as Chara began to pull him away from the strange monster.

"*Probably best just to let him see them for himself… later Frisk?" Opening and closing his mouth in a fishlike manner, he looked back to Chara, who herself sported a dubious expression. Seeing her nod in the direction of the marsh, the boy found himself silently agreeing.

Loren had already seemed to forget he was there, standing where he had stood when Frisk tripped over him. ' _What a strange question…'_

He decided to let it be. To each their own; Frisk smiled as Chara pulled him excitedly toward the glowing marsh, away from their welcoming committee.

* * *

-S-

Wake up.

Wake up, doctor.

 **Wake up, Sans.**

"huh… what… flavour is it today, bro…?"

"IT _LIVES!_ "

The first thing Sans felt through the tightly clinging fatigue of sleep, was the fragrant smell of Papyrus' bolognese, and how it splattered against his ever-grinning face.

Which was shortly followed by his brother's vice-grip of a hug, lifting him up precariously from the ground.

Opening one eye, he looked down to see Papyrus had buried his head into his jacket, reinforcing the hold he had. The short skeleton could not help but smile, sauce dripping from his chin.

Nor could he miss this prime opportunity.

"heh… guess you thought i'd… pasta-way back there, huh?"

The response he got was that of being dropped unceremoniously to the floor. Though he was unsteady with the lethargy, Sans caught his balance, eking out a snigger when he saw Papyrus' googly-eyed face.

"SANS! SERIOUSLY?! PUNS?! _NOW?!_ I THOUGHT YOU HAD… YOU WERE SO STILL…"

The short skeleton dropped his light-hearted pretence at his brother's hidden meaning. More than once, Papyrus had exhibited this aura of fear, given Sans' attitude and outlook.

And rightly so.

But that wouldn't happen now. That's why they were even in here, wasn't it?

He grasped hold of the tall skeleton's arm, prompting him to look him in the eyesocket, and he spoke in what he thought to be a reassuring tone. "papyrus, don't worry about me. remember, there's someone else that's in _much_ more trouble than this lazy skel'."

At this, Papyrus seemed to reinvigorate. "YES! AND I WILL LEND HIM ALL THE POWER I CAN! SO THAT AT THE END OF HIS JOURNEY, THOSE ON THE SURFACE WILL BE _PRAISING_ SKELETONS! HOW COULD THEY NOT?! THIS HANDSOME MUG WOULD MAKE SOME FANCY-SCHMANCY HEDGES! NYEH HEH HEH!" The tall skeleton followed up his speech with a proud chest-thump, posing to his solitary audience.

An audience that secretly, could not be more proud. Sans chuckled, closing his eyes tiredly as he mused.

"BUT… UHH… ONLY _TOGETHER_ , FOR YOU SEE, MY BROTHER! DESPITE HIS LAZINESS, IS INTEGRAL TO THIS FUTURE ROYAL-GUARD'S DUTY! … ARE YOU ALRIGHT TO KEEP GOING, MY STALWART SIBLING?" Hearing the concern in his brother's voice, Sans opened one eye to look up at him, finding Papyrus frowning.

"well, you know me pap, i'm like a bicycle. i can keep going for a while, but right now i find myself… two-tired…"

To his disappointment, his brother merely frowned deeper. "I WAS BEING SERIOUS, SANS. SERIOUS WITH A 'CEE'."

"what, like… cereal?"

"NO…! _SERIOUS!_ ARE YOU OKAY TO KEEP GOING? UNDYNE HAS GOT QUITE FAR AHEAD WHILST I TRIED TO ROUSE YOUR SORRY BONES!"

 _That_ caught his attention. "how long?" He asked quietly, his grin faltering, looking straight into his scowling brother's eyes.

"THREE, MAYBE FOUR HOURS?"

Papyrus jumped into action without a hitch upon hearing Sans' curse, running down the tunnel after him.

"what happened whilst i was out? i'm guessing we won, but what about the kid?" The short skeleton admonished himself for almost using the plural there. He _was_ still exhausted, and here he was again, doing far more exercise than he was used to!

"FRISK ESCAPED, BUT UNDYNE… SHE BROUGHT BACK ANOTHER. SHE SEEMED VERY PLEASED ABOUT IT…" Papyrus stopped beside Sans as he suddenly moved to face him, blocking the path. The tall skeleton could not help but sweat slightly at the expression his brother now bore.

"another?"

"YES, A LITTLE MONSTER-CHILD, FROM SNOWDIN I BELIEVE. LIZARD-BOY, CECIL WAS IT? SIGNEY? SAUSAGE? SYB-"

This time, Papyrus found himself yelping at just how far Sans _moved_ after hearing this piece of information.

Unbeknownst to him, Sans knew _exactly_ what Undyne was pleased about.

"they're in for a bad time…"

* * *

-O-

Chara could _not_ believe her ears.

She was _chattering_.

As she and Frisk walked slowly through the marsh, hand-in-hand, she had begun talking. The sights hadn't changed too much, and she had slowly realised that her partner was been spending more and more time looking at _her_ than the surroundings.

So, following the path almost instinctively, she spoke. About what she did here, the things she remembered she and Asriel did, how they would go and screech, laughing into lone echo-flowers, how they- though it was mostly just _her_ \- would prank other monsters, dunking them into pools or splashing them. Starting mud-fights.

About how sometimes the family as a whole would come here for a break, and take picnics in the persistent blue-twilight. How Toriel would teach her to sew, singing in her beautiful voice. How Asriel would try- and fail- to fish off in one of the faraway pools.

How Asgore would ask her to walk with him, and then regale her the stories he had of his and Toriel's past. How society worked back then. About his friends. There had been one in particular he always talked about- a man. A human boy, that he had grown up with, until…

She confessed that at the time, she did not believe it to be true. No human from up there could be nice, nor could they be the King's best friend and _protector_. Could they?

She laughed as she said this; her surrogate father would always tell her- " _Then what are you, my child? Look at how you and Asriel are now brother and sister, as if it were always so! You are a good person; you just need to start believing it!"_

Chara found herself smiling as she recited Asgore's words, directing a pointed look at Frisk. "*I guess he was right after all, huh? I mean… I met no 'good' humans up there, but down here? I met one more good than anyone I've ever met."

Despite the blue-glow, she could see the red-dusting of a rosy blush work its way onto her partner's face. She nearly giggled, only to find herself inhale sharply as he pouted.

"W-well, you're the best person I've ever met, too!" Frisk retorted. Now it was Chara's turn to become all rosy! Only… she started to shake, the familiar warm feeling coursing through her, prompting the girl to clench his hand tight so as to mask her trembling.

' _*Best… huh?'_ The thought made her mind swim. As was becoming maddeningly familiar, she could not decipher why this would happen.

But as she tried to tease it apart, something else came to mind. Throughout her whole one-sided discourse, Frisk had not said a thing until now.

The boy had simply listened, smiling at her the whole time. There was no vacancy to his concentration, nor was there any sign of boredom, or protest. He was just… happy.

Asriel? He would interject excitedly, or start talking about himself, or wanting to do something else. Toriel and Asgore, as understanding as they were, would not always have time to listen, and often have things to comment about, or went on their own tangents.

But Frisk, no. He took it all in, and enjoyed listening to every word she said. Took her seriously. This realisation prompted a question she had been building ever since she had first met him, back in the Ruins.

"*Frisk… can I… Ask you something?"

"Y-yes, Chara. Anything. Just… so long as it's not anything too… science-y?" He joked, giggling at the dull expression she schooled back in response.

Quickly, she fixed her countenance back to normalcy, finding herself almost excited to ask. Squeezing and raising his hand up, Chara spoke seriously, facing him.

"*Why did you climb Mount Ebott?"

As she had expected, he stopped right in his tracks. Her sneaking suspicion flared up within, seeing the alien, hollow appearance to the boy's eyes.

"You… You really want to know?" She almost rose an eyebrow at his defensiveness, but kept her expression solemn. If he had been anything like _she_ was…

"*Well… I asked, didn't I? If you really don't want to, I understand. But… you've had some… 'views' into my life, what it was… And I just want to know a bit more about you. Why _you_ came here. After all, if you hadn't climbed it, we wouldn't have met, would we?" She threw in her lopsided grin to accompany the end of her statement, and felt pleased as a small smile worked its way onto her partner's face.

It wasn't to last however. Frisk frowned, and looked to the side, before speaking.

"I… ran away. I came from an orphanage in the city- Winter's. Or that's what it says on the front of the building, anyway…"

He swallowed thickly, furrowing his brow as he continued. "Nobody came for any of us. Me or the other kids. And I guess… I was tired of it all, how we were blamed for the troubles of the nurses, the masters… I wasn't the only one to cry, and… run."

Chara did not dare interrupt him, fully fixated on his words as he spoke. Seeing him take a shuddering breath as he paused, the girl found herself scowling with his latter statement.

It was uncomfortably familiar.

"We were always told though, about the mountain. How everyone who went up it never came back, a fairy-tale punishment for the _really_ bad kids. There was never anything about monsters though… I just thought… it'd be nice to have an adventure, you know? To get away from Rhea, the stink-hole…"

The girl's eyes widened at that. Rhea had been but a village when _she_ was on the surface, but now it was a city? Time really had passed- she gulped thickly at the implication of it.

Shaking her head slightly, she decided to press Frisk a little more, noticing him trail-off into his own world. "*But _why?_ You heard what the stories said, _why_ would you climb up the mountain knowing that? You and I both know it wasn't just for _adventure_ Frisk."

Wondering if she had gone too far, the girl prepared to quickly follow-up and tell him that he didn't need to answer. His expression told her everything she needed to know.

Defeat.

He beat her to it. "I guess… I felt like never coming back, you know? Like… if… no-one wants me in the city, then at least I can go on an adventure, just to… do something before I… go…"

A lump built in her throat. She half-regretted it, making him like this. But she had to know.

Anticipating his shaky legs, she moved forward and embraced him, feeling him grasp tightly to her body.

It all rang very close to home. Chara struggled to quash the bubbling hate in her stomach, causing her to grip him even tighter.

Whilst she could feel him tremble, she did not hear him weep, though she silently hoped that he would. Would let it all out onto her, and so she could comfort him.

Something told her he had done enough of that already, and that she was _already_ his comfort.

Pulling away when she felt him relinquish his grip, she made to look in his eyes; they were still dull, and his face spoke volumes about how much this hurt him. So, finding the words, she tried.

"* _I_ want you. You… are a great partner. The best! And this adventure? Even though I'm just a has-been ghost? I don't think… No, I'm _certain_ that this is the best there ever could be! Us two against the world, all those _idiots_ up there, and the ones down here… We're on a quest together, and we're going to be _heroes_. Us. Together forever. You hear me Frisk?"

Chara was surprised to find herself weeping at the end, her voice cracking as she enunciated each word with as much force as she could. She meant it, all of it. And the way she could see Frisk react, _believe_ in her?

The feeling was familiar now, but… what was it?

She knew she _liked_ it. Never before Frisk, and always acute, such as when he had his face buried in her neck, grasping her tightly once again.

Although they had already decided to get there before, it was something _more_ now. Nothing would stop them.

* * *

-X-

Earth and buttercups.

That's what she smelt like up close- he barely registered it before. Why was this something so important in his mind?

Why did he even bother? His brain, such as it was, was in complete shambles. He had not poured out his heart in such a way _ever_. Sure, he had cried, laughed, bled and slept with Chara, but this?

The girl dredged it up, and he had no choice but to deliver. To anyone else, it might mean nothing. That's what he feared.

But to her? It was like a weight lifting from his shoulders.

He wanted to ask her the same thing. He couldn't, not yet though… he knew what was in her heart. But…

There were so _many_ questions now. What Asgore was like. Who that _man_ was. What family life was like.

Yet Frisk did not dare to interrupt as she talked, squirreling them away for later. He ate up her story like a starving animal, and when it came to his turn?

They shared something special, he believed. Wholeheartedly. And not just this strange, nice, hot feeling. It would have scared him were his partner not by his side.

Once again, they arose from their embrace. It was funny, such as to bring a goofy smile to his face- they _kept_ doing this! What must Sans think?

' _He'd probably think we're just a pair of cry-babies. Papyrus would probably just join in though!'_ Frisk thought in amusement. Seeing the look reciprocated on Chara's face, he simply sighed in contentment. Happier now.

Despite the ambush earlier, despite the perils that must be awaiting them, nothing could take away this moment, walking through these beautiful marshes. Now they were simply enjoying one another's company.

He admonished himself lightly for losing track of time once again; he barely noted the new tunnel they were approaching as it came into view. Chara clearly knew where they were going, even if she seemed to be paying less attention than he was.

Nudging her lightly with his occupied arm, he smiled lopsidedly as she slowly turned her head to him, expression peaceful.

"You never made a wish back in the wishing room." He accused gently, his smile turning into a smirk as she at first seemed puzzled, and then thoughtful.

"*I already made my wish long ago Frisk." Raising an eyebrow, Frisk simply stared at her expectantly. For a moment, Chara stared back, mimicking his expression comically, but soon gave in.

"*I wished for… pretty much the same thing you did. Except maybe not quite so _loudly_ … you big goof!" She spilled, snickering at the embarrassment on his face at the last part.

Seizing the opportunity, Frisk twisted his face into one of smugness. "W-what, so you wished for a 'Frisk' to help you free the monsters? I don't think I'd been born yet Chara."

Relishing the pause that brought to his partner, the boy grinned toothily, holding his nose up high. He had almost begun to whistle loudly, before Chara brought forth her retort, whispering it in his ear, her breath raising the goose-bumps on his flesh!

"*And what if I did? Huh?! Maybe I wished I'd be a spooky ghost to _haunt_ you until you completed our quest?!" She finished up her gibe by unleashing the dreaded tickle monster on his unprotected neck and sides.

An initial squeal, raucous laughter, and then the chase was on. A girl chasing a boy through and out of the marsh with her tickle-fingers, finding themselves not caring in the moment for who saw them. Even if would be just of a boy laughing and running from seemingly nobody.

For now, they were happy.

* * *

-X-

She chased him until he could not keep up with his breath any more, and he collapsed in a small cavern with a small, central pool and little waterfalls running down the walls.

Chara was evidently fitter than he was- he didn't know whether being incorporeal meant it was cheating, but as she descended on him, fingers tickling, he decided it _had_ to be. He needed to maintain _some_ sense of pride after all!

It had nearly reached the point where it was painful, writhing under her touch and watching her devilish grin before Frisk tried to tickle her _back._ Much to his joy, the results were instantaneous and _gratifying_.

"*N- _no-o!_ " She cried. The boy found he was feeling merciless after all this _torture_ , and quickly found the weak-spot; her stomach.

Rolling around, wrestling and hooting like a pair of hyenas, it was only when both their arms were completely exhausted that they stopped, breathing rapidly to regain their energy. They could not feel their arms, and yet still they giggled!

It took several long moments for them to regain their bearings, but Frisk, still tittering and trembling, was the first to arise, offering a hand to Chara. Whilst he was sorely _tempted_ to take advantage, addicted as he found himself to his newfound trick, the boy merely grinned as she arose, happy when she returned it.

Taking a proper look around in the new environment they found themselves in, Frisk spotted to his nervous embarrassment what looked like fresh footprints and… long, sliding trails in the dirt, snaking away from _them_ and out into the tunnel across from where they arrived. It would seem in their antics, they had scared somebody away!

' _So much for being… what was the word Chara used? Dis…creet?_ ' Frisk thought, biting his lip and huffing through his nose. Shrugging after a moment, he paid it no further mind- it's not as if they could have seen her, right?

Raising his eyes to peer out through the exit, he noticed a strange depth to it. He could feel the breath of a warm wind flow over his face in the direction of it; _was_ it the exit from Waterfall?

The boy opened his mouth to ask this very question, when Chara beat him to it. "* _That_ … I think we're going the wrong way… Still, if I remember correctly, through here is a _nice_ view of Hotland and New Home, if you want to go Frisk? We'll have to come all the way back and find the _right_ way through the marsh, but…"

He could see _excitement_ in the faraway look of her eyes, her eager grin. Though he would have agreed to it anyway, the girl began pulling him gently toward the strange tunnel as her voice trailed off, and he decided not to deny her.

Though he did wonder how exactly they would be able to see it, Frisk certainly did not mind the prospect of a view of their destination, not to mention it being Chara's home! After several awkward missteps where he nearly fell into his partner, causing both of them to wince and grunt in varying tones of frustration, the boy finally moved in tandem with the girl, not-quite jogging through the new tunnel.

As they moved, the warm-draught became a breeze, and the quiet hum of the Waterfall caverns developed into a faint whistling and whooshing. It only got louder as they went; the air became thicker, and Frisk soon felt as if they were almost walking into a _rainstorm_. He glanced curiously to his partner to see if she sensed it, but only saw her look more and more _eager_. So, he dismissed his suspicion and smiled, preferring to take whatever was coming by surprise.

The tunnel widened with their progress, and soon the amber light from ahead surpassed that of the glowing stones in the walls and ceiling. Although Frisk took little notice of the worn plaques and other objects indented into the sandy-surfaces, particularly given Chara's enthusiasm in moving forward, there was _one_ that caught his eye.

Pulling on his partner's arm and slowing down, he drew her attention to it with a whistle. "What's this, Chara? It looks just like…"

Initially, the girl spun her head around to him in puzzlement at his diversion, but following his eyes, she saw what gave him pause.

And very nearly gasped; she managed, _barely_ , to mollify it into a sharp intake. It was alarm bells to Frisk though, and he pulled them both to a complete stop.

The calm light from the stones above seemed to be focused on one spot jutting into the wall- a highly weathered statue of a seated figure, leaning forward with their head down. Upon closer inspection, they could see large hanging ears, and curved horns sprouting upward from the sides of its head.

"It looks a bit like…-"

"*Asgore… father… but he looks so…"

The boy clearly perceived the confusion on Chara's face, twisted with a haunted recognition.

Saying nothing more, Frisk moved slowly toward the statue, assessing it carefully as he went. There were drips of water steadily pouring onto its head from the ceiling, glistening in the light. Each drop splashed into a fine mist on contact, wetting the gritty floor around its feet.

Upon closer inspection, there were small stones of the same rock that the figure was carved out of at its feet- the cracks and chips covering it indicated their likely origin. As he got closer, he could see the details of its face that were not worn- 'he' had a neutral expression; his eyes were closed, and there were pronounced fangs indented on either side of his muzzle. If this was Asgore, he certainly looked younger than what he remembered from his nightmare!

Biting his lip, Frisk tried to bury his memory of the event. He had already made Chara know quite what he felt about _that_.

"*…Asriel?" He heard his partner whisper from beside him, seeing her hand reach past him and touch the cold, wet stone. Peering back at the figure, Frisk decided still to say nothing despite his puzzlement, joining Chara and resting his hand next to hers upon the statue.

"*…No. It… Unless… I…" Hearing her confused muttering, the boy moved his hand to cover hers, slowly turning to look at her. She was deep in thought, no longer really looking at anything before her.

Slowly clasping and gently squeezing her fingers, Frisk smiled in understanding as Chara gradually returned his gaze, though she did not immediately smile back.

"*I-I think… maybe this is a statue of… d-dad, when he was younger. It wasn't… I don't remember seeing it before… and… he looks so…"

"…Sad?"

Frisk only felt her response, a nod, having already embraced her once again. This time, there was no clinging or excited energy like there had been before.

As a result, it only lasted a moment before she pulled away, sporting a frown. She looked only to the floor, and just as the boy was about to speak, she shook her head.

"*It… I'll be fine Frisk. Thank you… Let's just… continue."

She sounded so tired all of a sudden, and the boy was not ignorant enough to believe it was because she had exhausted herself with all the chasing and running.

Nor could he prevent the scowl which crossed his face at the expression that worked its way onto hers.

Guilt.

* * *

-O-

Silently, she was highly grateful to Frisk for not saying more, and perpetuating the matter.

Chara _knew_ that he had a very accurate idea as to what bothered her about it. And what was bothering her now.

Instead, he squeezed her hands, comforting. Tugging slightly, letting her know he was there. This time, she could not help but smile at him- albeit pathetically, but enough for him to see and acknowledge.

They walked far slower this time, away from the statue and toward the source of all the noise. Though she had no doubt that the upcoming view was worth it, she wasn't so certain on whether she was _happier_ for taking this detour now.

It didn't take much for her to figure out what the statue _really_ was. Although she had told Frisk it was Asgore, Chara knew it was not.

It was Asriel. Admittedly, the girl was not perfectly certain, but the shape of his face, the lack of a beard and mane, the smoother horns, his narrower gait…

Sure, it was just a statue, but the girl could not rid herself of the gnawing thought that this was an epitaph. To _his_ lost future.

Because they failed. Because… of her?

It was maddening- she wanted to pull her hair out over it, scream and kick and shout until _someone_ gave her the answer. She wanted to grab Frisk by his collar and yell at him to condemn her, like _they_ all had.

But she knew he never would. He would never give up on her, this she knew. Especially after what he said. What she felt.

She let out a shuddering sigh, and said boy only gripped her hand tighter, causing her to smile and lean toward him unconsciously.

The one thing that did not quite fit for the girl… Why was it _there_? A statue like that, of what she believed to be her prince brother, left to weather away in some forgotten tunnel of Waterfall? If she had _any_ power left whatsoever, she would be making sure people knew about it, that was for certain!

"Chara… umm…."

Frisk's voice cut through her like a knife in butter- she was startled out of her introspection, waking to the sudden _development_ in front of them.

It was _raining_.

The girl could only gawk at the scene; the tunnel had widened similarly to how it did with the marsh, though there was only the one navigable walkway, barely ten feet wide for them to walk across. The ceiling had now risen beyond sight, with only the twinkling of the turquoise and-now amber light-stones perceivable. And the rain- it was as if it _materialised_ from above, trickling and dropping down just as it did above-ground, leaving muddy puddles along the path they were to walk.

Before Chara could begin to say that they should turn back, that it was no longer worth it, Frisk held his 'brilliant' solution aloft over both their heads.

The boy had quickly, _excitedly_ removed Sans' jacket, and now placed it carefully over them both. Raising an eyebrow, the girl turned to her partner, who looked mighty pleased with himself.

"I knew this would come in very handy! We'll have to thank Sans for this too, later!" Frisk effused, beaming at her with such strength as to force his eyes shut. Chara merely grinned in her lopsided manner.

"*You know we look _pretty_ ridiculous, right? Especially since mostly everyone can't see me, it's going to look like you're holding the coat up like it's a glider, or something else _bizarre_."

"Well, at least we'll be dry…! And I don't know what _that_ is… but since we're under it, it must be something nice!"

Chara guffawed at his cheery response, shaking her head slightly and smiling. Papyrus had clearly rubbed off on him- but not too much she hoped! She wasn't sure how she would take it if the boy started professing an honest love for spaghetti.

With no further protest from her, Frisk started pulling forward, and Chara swiftly made to keep up with him. To the girl's inward but undeniable satisfaction, they had locked arms in order to keep the thick coat aloft- if they couldn't hold hands, then…

Walking along with Frisk, despite being in the rain… Chara found it made no difference. She could forget her troubles once more, including the _new_ one in the statue. That feeling, creeping up…

They were getting close to what she wanted to show him. But maybe, first… the girl wanted to broach the subject of just _what_ it was she kept feeling. She could, after all easily identify the same 'thing' in Frisk when he got close, looking at her.

Maybe if they worked together, as they always did, they could figure out what 'it' was. It would be easy!

…

Then why was it proving so difficult to string the words together?

Deciding that simply diving in was the best option, Chara turned to Frisk and grimaced, looking down at his chest. Gulping, she opened her mouth. "*Frisk, I…"

"Oh… who is… is that _Sid?_ "

Swallowing, the girl shook herself and quickly followed her partner's squinting gaze. Pushing the train of thought down, she decided that it would probably be better if it was discussed _alone_. Sid wasn't exactly the ideal company for such discussion, after all!

' _*Speaking of which… wasn't he… carted away by Undyne? At least he's okay I guess…_ ' She thought, spotting said lizard-boy amongst one of the gaps in the wall, sheltered from the rain.

The monster-kid seemed to be having difficulty with something- at first, Chara thought it looked like a walking stick, before dismissing the idea as ludicrous. As the two humans approached, its identity became clear.

With the curved handle in his mouth, he was stood on one leg, trying to carefully wedge his free foot under the tips of the cloth in an attempt to open a large red umbrella; evidently a difficult task with no arms.

Feeling her partner make to move toward his friend, Chara gently but pointedly nudged his side with her elbow. As he turned to her in confusion, she merely raised her brow and indicated above them. Frisk quickly grasped the issue, making an 'O' with his mouth, before sticking his tongue out, concentrating on adjusting how he was holding the coat in tandem with her- neither wanted to get wet, but they did not quite want Sid to _easily_ put two and two together!

Now it just looked like Frisk was holding the jacket _very_ high above his head- whilst it would appear odd and unnecessary to an outside observer, it at least no longer looked like he was hiding an additional person underneath it.

It would do, at least until they got hold of that umbrella! Moving to do just that, both humans approached the oblivious lizard-boy.

"H-hello, Sid! Do… Do you want _me_ to open that for you?" Frisk chirped, smiling concernedly as the other boy whipped his head up in surprise, the umbrella-handle dropping from his mouth.

"Oh-uh… Yo Frisk! Err… Umm that'd be great, please dude…" Despite the acute look of surprise and bemusement at her partner's sudden 'arrival', Chara caught the flicker of something _else_ cross his expression. She frowned, narrowing her eyes in suspicion, peering closely at the lizard-boy. The girl said nothing yet though, keeping pace with Frisk as he gently picked up the now-dirty umbrella from the ground.

Opening it with ease, Frisk dropped the jacket over Chara carefully, raising the umbrella over himself and Sid quickly before he got wet. The girl rapidly and surreptitiously tried to put the coat over Frisk's shoulders, and he managed to get his arms through the holes just as the other boy scooted under, none-the-wiser. To the two smooth-skinned children, this was more than a little relieving!

Thankfully, Frisk was able to raise the umbrella to cover all three without looking too odd; though Chara noticed Sid glance upward a couple of times, he seemed more grateful than anything.

"A-awesome dude! Let's go then! I bet we'll catch a good glimpse of Undyne ahead! Also, there's the coolest view of N-New Home, a-and-…" Her partner interrupted the lizard-boy's excited chattering by placing his hand on the other's small shoulder.

"About that… we- _I'm_ … sorry about that… you getting caught, and… me not being there…" Frisk apologised quietly, not quite meeting the monster-kid in the eye. Chara however, did, and she caught _that_ again.

"Wha… Wait, no, _d-dude!_ That was the _coolest!_ I got-I _got_ to go with _Undyne_ , man! And! _And!_ She _didn't_ tell my parents! How _awesome_ is that? Not only is she the coolest, but she wouldn't tell that I'm all the way in here!"

Frisk raised his eyes and looked over the lizard-boy with a wide smile at this- Sid was bouncing up and down in excitement, recounting just how _important_ it was that the vicious captain had even deigned to touch him.

Seeing them both like this, chattering, Chara sighed and smiled, letting her suspicion wane. He _seemed_ to be okay. If the boy had been in trouble, he doubted he would have met them here, and it was clear he thought the whole thing was _exciting_ , rather than the deadly affair it had been for her and Frisk.

With a glance back to the girl, Frisk began to move forward once more, this time with Sid in tow. Chara had to be careful not to bump into Sid, and though she wanted to hold her partner's hand again, she settled for not being able to do so, as his attention was focused on keeping their companion occupied.

She watched, quietly as Sid chuntered about Undyne- how she had visited his school and _bench-pressed_ all of the children at once. About how she always saved the day against accidents, buildings falling apart, errant boulders falling from the roof of the Underground.

He built and weaved a picture of a headstrong heroine, someone larger-than-life that all children should idolise and aspire to be. Forgetting for a moment the sheer _terror_ she and Frisk had felt only hours ago, it was easy to be drawn into the legend of it.

It was certainly easier for her to accept a flawless warrior of the monsters than it was to believe in the _human_ knights of yore back on the surface. At least, her and Frisk aside, she could hear an account she knew to be true first-hand.

A dark thought crept over her then, as they finally exited into the pass on the outside of Waterfall.

' _ ***If she kills us, then they would have another soul with which to free them all…**_ **If** _ **we were to fail… then maybe it's not**_ **all** _ **so bad?'**_

Chara gulped, ruthlessly quashing the thought down.

She would _never_ let Frisk die.

"Well, dude! Can you _see_ that? Isn't it great?!" The girl welcomed Sid's shrill voice this time, breaking out of her depressing reverie to realise that they were now _exactly_ at the place _she_ wanted to share with Frisk.

Looking to her partner, the awe was starkly evident in his eyes; the glow of the place before them shining on his faint-red iris. Noticing her looking at him, he turned to her; not caring about present company, and with his mouth ajar, Frisk mouthed a word to her which Chara could only beam at, feeling herself flush.

' _Beautiful.'_

It was New Home.

Out of sight and to the right, obscured by sharp, jutting lithology was a red glow. Hotland, Chara knew. That, at least would appear to have _not_ changed in location!

The _real_ view was directly before them though. It was a white castle, lit by countless hanging stalactites encrusted with blue and amber light. Chara always thought the roof of the Underground here looked like the sea, upside-down, glistening with moonlight.

The castle itself had three towers, with conical-blue rooves pointing upward. Easily observable were large archways indented into it, the smaller ones showing the grand windows of the palace; the larger arches were indicative of gateways.

Smaller towers and keeps surrounded the main palace, all topped with battlements Chara knew were not manned- they were simply for show. Hugging and built around these defensive structures were the buildings and infrastructure of the city- which had sprawled much further since the girl last saw it.

She sighed. It was still beautiful of course, but after all this time… Chara couldn't help but be reminded of how things had left her behind in death.

Turning slowly back to the still gobsmacked Frisk, she smiled. It wasn't nearly so bad when she remembered who she was with, and what they were doing! Her smile faded as he raised his arm and pointed at the castle, opening and closing his mouth in a fishlike manner.

"*…What's wrong, Frisk?"

He glanced at her, his expression inscrutable for but a moment, before renewing his pointing and finding his voice.

"What is _that_?"

"…That's the castle dude. You know, New Home? Isn't it awesome?"

Chara had raised her eyebrow at his seemingly dumb question, before noticing his frustrated expression, and how he was now jabbing his hand before him.

"No, not that! The… _light_ behind it! It looks…" Frisk's question trailed off as both Chara and Sid looked back to the castle in interest.

 _Now_ she could see it, and with recognition came _that_ sinking feeling. She knew exactly what it was. It looked like a thin crack in the far wall of the Underground, white light pouring out of it, providing additional light over the palace and the city. It contrasted with the relative darkness surrounding everything; Chara always thought it looked like an ugly snarl, laughing at them all.

Before the girl could work up the gumption to answer, Sid did it for her. "That's the _barrier_ , dude! How do you not know that?! Isn't that what you said you were gonna crack open before, in the wishing room? Gotta say, you dream _big_ , dude! _Everyone_ knows it's gonna be the King who does it, though…"

With no small amount of pleasure, she watched as Frisk began to smirk, returning it with a lopsided smirk of her own when he tilted his head at her. "W-well Sid… Maybe it won't have to be him? I bet… If we just _try_ … We could do it…!"

The lizard-boy regarded Frisk's stop-start promise with disinterest. Clearly, he wasn't on-board; just another indication of the monsters' resignation, Chara realised. Instead, Sid made to move further down the pass, towards the dead-end.

"Anyway… are ya coming, dude?" The monster-kid was completely ignorant to the other boy's disappointment at the brushing-off of his promise, changing the subject with an ever-eager bounce.

Looking between Chara, who shrugged, and Sid, who was rapidly becoming impatient, Frisk asked the obvious question. "But… isn't _that_ way a dead-end?"

To both her and her partner's surprise, the lizard-boy raised an eyebrow at this. "No dude! Don't… didn't you come this way? Down this way is the bridge to Hotland!" Sid responded quizzically.

Chara frowned. _That_ was new. "*But… I thought that way just led to a huge pit… It would have taken them _ages_ to build over it…" She murmured loud enough for Frisk to hear, to which he raised both his eyebrows in slight surprise as he tried to work in a response.

"I… uh… didn't, no. I thought… never mind." Chara scoffed at her partner's usual show of intelligence, grinning as she saw him flush. Without further argument, they followed Sid as he led the way down the pass.

* * *

-X-

As they followed their guide, it was hard for even Frisk to not notice the unusual turn in Sid's mood.

He would keep looking behind him, but ostensibly _not_ to make sure the other boy was still there. Each time, both Frisk and his partner would look behind them to try and catch a glimpse of what had Sid on-edge.

Clearly, it was bothering Chara too, as each time it happened, he would see her scowl deepen ever more, and she would move closer to him.

They had left the pass with the breath-taking view, and had entered another tunnel. The further they went, the lighter the inclement 'weather' got, until it reached the point where the boy no-longer had to hold the umbrella aloft. He folded it wordlessly, holding onto it until Sid asked.

But the other boy didn't even seem to notice that it had stopped raining.

He couldn't hold it any further. "Sid… are you alright? You seem… _afraid_ of something…?" Frisk could not keep the quaver from entering his voice as he finished speaking, and only trembled more with Sid's response.

"N-nothing, dude! Just… _excited_ , you know? We're gonna see Undyne again, and I-I don't… _don't_ wanna miss her!"

It was typical Sid- it was obvious to all just how much the lizard-boy revered his hero. Frisk would have smiled, _tremulously_ due to his and Chara's internal fear, and yet…

The monster-kid was still on edge. Like he was…

…Nervous?

The boy could not chew on this thought for long, as they reached what seemed to be the end of the path.

Before them was a short ledge, with another worn plaque imbedded in the wall beside it. Looking it over, there were some worn letters on it along with a diagonal arrow, pointing up at the lip of the surface above them.

It was about as tall as Papyrus was- Frisk could _see_ something above it, but quickly resigned himself to the fact that they had come all this way for nothing.

If it were not for Sid's intervention, that is. "Yo, this ledge is… kinda steep, don'tcha think? Do you… wanna get a lift up? The way ahead is up there!" The monster-kid stated his offer brightly, without a hint of nervousness. Instead, there was a kind of… relief?

Glancing at his partner first, who now looked _highly_ suspicious, Frisk nodded his head slowly. "I guess… thank you Sid. How do you… want me to do this?" As he said this, he moved toward the lizard-boy with caution, his body turned toward Chara slightly. Everything now had him on edge, but he wanted to take the chance.

He trusted Sid.

"A-alright, dude! Just, uh… climb on my shoulders. You can reach, right?" Looking between the now-bouncing monster-kid and the ledge, the human-boy nodded slowly, moving awkwardly toward him, leaving the umbrella on the ground.

What followed next, was a display that Frisk was _certain_ Chara must have been laughing her socks off at- Sid wasn't nearly as still as he needed to be, and the human-boy didn't have _quite_ the upper-arm strength he thought he had to make it a _smooth_ process.

Numerous shouts, cries of pain and frustration later, Frisk managed to climb over onto the upper-ledge, exhausted. From down-below, he could hear his partner 'cheering' sardonically, which only made him chuckle.

"Never… I'm not doing _that_ ever again dude… Frisk! I'll find another way around, okay? Catch you later man!" Despite his breathlessness, Sid excitedly took back his umbrella, and ran off the way he came with it in his mouth.

"W-wait! Sid!"

It didn't matter. Despite Frisk's calling, the lizard-boy shortly disappeared out of sight and into the rain. Sid seemingly no-longer cared about the fact he would now get wet, unless he figured out his umbrella!

For a moment, the boy simply sat there in open-mouthed bewilderment at his lizard friend's antics now, and just before he left. What had he been so nervous about?

Just as he thought of sharing his concerns with his partner, he was quickly reminded of their current predicament. "*Well, Frisk… I'm sure we'll see him again, but for now, I need a hand up there! Sure you can manage?"

He had to grin at her light-hearted jab at his… inability, moments before. Without a word, he took off Sans' jacket and draped it down- he didn't quite have the reach to grasp Chara's hand from where he now was, but with the coat, there was more than enough for her to hold onto.

Frisk didn't know if it was simply because she was lighter, or due to the ease offered by the jacket, but Chara's climb went by far more smoothly than his did! As she alighted onto the ledge rather smugly, the boy pouted exaggeratedly at her, cheering inwardly at the flush that crept onto his partner's rosy cheeks.

As they laid there for a moment to regain their bearings, Chara spoke of what was on _both_ their minds. "*What do you think he was so worked up about? He seemed… pretty quick to leave, despite his love for Undyne…"

Rotating his head on the ground to look at his partner, who was now regarding him with an expression of concern, Frisk could only find it in himself to shrug slightly. He didn't know, and the boy didn't want to question or become suspicious over those he thought were friends.

It wasn't fair to leave Chara to think like that either. "I think… maybe that's just the way he is. He was probably just making sure that we weren't too late, or something like that…"

"*Hmm…"

It was clear that Chara wasn't convinced of _that_ reasoning, and deep down, neither was Frisk. But what could they do? Sans and Papyrus couldn't be there for them all the time, and they _had_ to move forward. _Together_ , they could do anything.

Finding himself incensed by _this_ reasoning, Frisk, finding new energy, sprang upward. Throwing Sans' jacket over and onto himself, he offered Chara a hand up with a beaming smile. "What do you say, partner? Let's keep going!" He chirped, feeling proud as the girl grinned in her own way back at him.

"*You're such a goof sometimes Frisk." On its own, one might be taken aback such a statement, but the sparkle in her brown eyes and the affectionate tone with which she said it only made the boy smile harder.

* * *

-O-

Sid hadn't been lying.

Where she remembered there being a seemingly endless pit was now a bridge.

…Crossing over an endless pit.

It was nauseating, to say the least. The 'bridge' looked unfinished, and consisted of what appeared to be old wooden planks. Not the best workmanship, Chara had to admit.

Still, it was their way forward, though neither she or her partner were particularly enthused about it.

"*Should we go back? I mean, it'll take a while, but unless you want to take your chances with _that_ …"

Frisk seemed to consider it for a moment, before clenching her hand tight, breathing in deeply. Releasing his breath, he shook his head and looked at her. "No… W-we should keep going. I… I think…"

 _Thud._

There was a low, booming noise which suddenly reverberated throughout the area- something both children could _feel_ reverberate through their feet.

 _Thud. Thud. Thud._

They were both immediately on-guard; it wasn't possible to locate the source of the noise, no matter which way they turned. It seemed to come from everywhere!

 _Crunch._

This time, Frisk and Chara turned as one, the hairs raising on the backs of their necks, the adrenaline flowing freely.

A step back. Another. Clenching each other's hand like a lifeline, so tight their knuckles turned white, they turned and _ran_. Frisk whimpering, Chara grunting anxiously.

Following them, a thudding, metallic crunching. Getting faster and faster.

Undyne.

The girl felt the unfettered sense of betrayal flare up in the back of her head. Was _this_ what Sid had been hiding?

It no longer mattered. They _had_ to get away- there was no hiding now, and she was catching _up_.

Weave. Turn. _Run_.

Jump. Leap. Skip. _**Run.**_

The path before them forked, and though they were of two minds, they both made to go left.

Suddenly, a flaring, burning, _sharp_ pain in her left arm- she let go of Frisk's hand instinctively, with a scream.

Chara caught sight of what did it- the captain had launched a spear, grazing her arm but thankfully missing her partner completely. Despite the burning that she now felt in her limb, the girl made to catch up with Frisk, who had slowed in order for her to catch up.

"*Don't slow _down_ , Frisk! _Keep running!_ " She yelled, sprinting to be with him. The girl did not care that the captain managed to overtake her, only that she was far enough away from _her_ partner.

Reluctantly, the boy turned and kept running. He had made some more distance between himself and her before Chara realised _Undyne_ was suddenly slowing down.

Looking at the armoured captain, and then at Frisk, who cried in surprise, she realised just what had happened.

They should have gone right.

"*No! _No!"_

No amount of screaming or useless attempts to have _any_ influence whatsoever on Undyne's armour would work now, Chara realised with a rapidly sinking feeling that threatened to swallow her whole.

 _Fear._

Undyne prowled toward the now trapped Frisk- the pathway he had gone down cut-off in a dead end. He had nowhere to go. She could see him looking desperately at her.

Chara shook from head to toe. She was going to _kill_ him. She was getting closer and closer.

" _*Sans! Papyrus! Help us, please!"_

Across the way, she could hear Frisk scream the exact same thing.

…

But Nobody Came.

Gnashing her teeth, not caring about the blood which poured from her arm and lips, Chara sprinted as hard as she could, past Undyne, ignoring her outstretched spear, trying to get to her partner.

A swift, whooshing sound. A flash of light.

And he was _falling_.

Her Frisk. Her partner.

Falling into dark.

His face, so scared, haunting her.

No amount of screaming could bring him back, as he disappeared from view.

…

" _ ***FRISK!"**_

* * *

 **-X-**

 **A/N:** Ooo-eer! What'll happen now? Who knows…

Anyway, first of all- I _haven't_ forgotten about Shyren. She'll be appearing (spoilers I guess), don't worry!

Secondly, I am so… SO sorry about taking so long. Life, huh? It's been hitting hard for the past few months, and still is.

Once again, I've decided to split up a chapter- this was going on 21,000 words… If it's a pain to edit, then it's gonna be a pain for you to read! In any case, I hope you enjoyed this!

Anyway. I hope you are all well- it's been over a year since Undertale was released, and it's just gone a year since I started this story! How's that, eh?

As always, thank you very much: MongrelDog, Bloxxerstudios1 (thrice!), PhoenixCaptain, badbloodkiller1, mazzy (is that you Mary?), CVLTheDragonSlayer, FlightOfTheHerons, The Emerald Queen 88, A Creative One, Guest and Paragon of Discord. Sorry for taking so long.

Special thanks to Mary, for keeping telling me where I was doing it wrong, and your unhelpful suggestions… And Bloxxerstudios1. For persevering, and reminding me what I should be doing

So, if you haven't all left… See you in a little bit? Remember, I will be keeping my profile updated with my progress/status updates, in case anyone is interested. Ciao!


	27. Separation

Chapter Twenty-Seven – Separation

 **A/N- Cue music: watch?v=qgBc5vwIJm0**

-U-

"About time!"

The captain of the Royal guard let out a hearty bellow of triumph following this remark, the sheer volume of it resonating out of her metallic shell, into the dark chasm below. The echoes returned their answer to her pleasure, if but only for a moment as the sound was drowned in the utter silence of the place.

Sighing, Undyne stepped forward to the edge of the now shortened platform, and peered down to where she had cast down the human. His screams were doubled by something more. As if he did not fall alone, but with someone by his side; they continued for quite some time as he fell.

She could not help but feel a slight twinge of guilt as she looked down. Human or not, Undyne was acutely aware that she had just delivered death to a child; if it were not for her people's hopes and dreams overriding her personal sense of justice, and in fact reinforcing it so, she would have thrown herself after him. To give him a chance.

As it was, she needed to live, to get down there and collect his soul before it was lost to them. As even her best had proven, she needed to do it herself. _Alone_.

Tightening her trembling grip over her spear and pulling herself upward, she swivelled around and made to move forward. There were, of course, several other routes through Waterfall, and the chasm that the abandoned walkway she stood upon was situated above the refuse dump not far from her own home!

A silent moment passed by. A sigh.

It had to be done. She shook her head, gritted her teeth, and made to move forward.

Despite the proud, strong posture she now held, despite the rush, the excitement that she _alone_ was the one to deliver her mentor the very prize that would bring the monsters true hope… Undyne could not move.

Growling, the warrior clenched her tremulous fists as tight as possible, dissipating her flickering spear in the process. Despite the shaking, she could muster the strength to do _that_ at least.

Why then, could she not take a step forward? What was this she felt? There was _nothing_ on the platforms with her, there was not a sound to be heard aside from her hitched breathing and the distant echoes of those too far to consider.

Raising a shiny, armoured fist before her face, she made to bash her thick head lightly with it, if only to clear her thoughts! She was better than this. She was the _heroine_. There was only one thing left to do! _Come on!_

…She could see her one eye, reflected in her coal-coloured gauntlets. It shone like a lone star, not quite consumed by the dark. It flickered, withered by a nameless fear that from that moment onward, was something Undyne would always abhor.

Why could she not _stop_ shaking?

* * *

-S-

Too late. _Again_.

Except this time, he'd have no chance to make up for it, would he? Cynically, he was reminded of _exactly_ why he never made promises.

…

Even when he actually _tried_ , and had _help_ , he couldn't see them through.

Despite his fatigue, the sweat pouring from his head and the gnawing, freezing feeling of shame crawling over his heart(does sans have a heart tho), Sans wasted not one moment more to jump into action, despite how crestfallen he now felt. He could not let it show- the inaction was indication enough.

Reaching his left hand out, he gripped the object of his focus just in time, turning his head slightly toward his brother, who stood frozen in shock beside him.

"go after her. you know what to do."

After a long moment of breathless silence, where the short skeleton began to formulate an apology for even _thinking_ Papyrus could just shrug off what had so obviously happened, the taller skeleton rushed quickly toward the scene before them without a word.

Refocusing his gaze, he watched as Papyrus' friend seemed to regather her wits, leaping over to another platform and running down it, ignorant of both the skeleton moving to intercept her, and the unseen threat that had been mere inches from her a moment ago.

Unseen, he was able to keep his concentration without effort until both his brother and the captain ran out of sight; Sans presumed that Undyne would now try to quickly traverse down to the dump in order to get at Frisk's soul before it either disappeared, or was taken by some other monster.

If that is what it had truly come down to, the short skeleton no longer knew whether he should be interfering. The kids _had_ a pretty flimsy plan to begin with.

Shaking his head to clear such familiar, cynical thoughts, he made sure to keep his left eye fixated on the one still standing above the abyss.

One quick shortcut later, he stood several feet before her, the harsh yellow-glow of his magic lighting her pale skin to a sickly, almost-jaundiced hue. Trailing thickly from her mouth and from her left arm was blood, pitch-black in the dim light of the cavern. Despite the situation, the way she was pushing against his control and the _look_ she was giving him, he shrugged, smiled and pocketed his hands.

"heya. i'd say before you looked like death warmed over, but now you just look like death, kid."

"*Let. Me. **Go.** "

"not gonna happen. not yet, anyways. you need to listen to me _real_ good right now, cause the vibes you're givin' off? that ain't gonna fix anything. it'll only lead one way, and i doubt _frisk_ would want that."

"*Don't you **dare**. Don't you **dare** presume what he would think, or what is right. Where _**were**_ you?! Did **he** mean **nothing** to you?!"

Despite himself, Sans paused at Chara's accusation. He gritted his teeth, though he maintained his nonchalant grin, even as the girl's seemingly _glowing_ red eyes narrowed furiously at the unspoken implication.

"believe it or not kid, we were coming to help you out. i'm here now, aren't i? and paps is off trying to catch undyne, to slow her down."

"*Not good enough. Now… my partner… Frisk is dead… and there is no hope for the Underground. Because of **you**. Who knows. Maybe you were _watching_ it happen."

Resisting the urge to grip tighter over this indictment, Sans instead relaxed his grip, allowing the now-limp, broken girl to collapse to her knees, her head falling to her chest.

Though he did not let go, he did not respond for several moments, allowing them both to collect their thoughts. He could see tears mix with the tainted blood on her face, both dripping onto her dirty-green sweater. She made no attempt to wipe at them, utterly defeated as she was; the skeleton could not help but to waver at the sight.

"…chara, you _know_ that's not true. i could make excuses all day, and for once they'd be honest. we messed up. i'm sorry. i don't have… or know what to say to make things better… but feeling sorry for ourselves isn't gonna fix anything either."

"*I fail to see how **any** of this can be fixed, Sans."

"well, first, i _know_ you know how human souls work down here. they linger, and i'm _pretty_ sure you'll want to have your hands on frisk's before anybody else, especially given your _connection_."

Chara whipped her head up at him at this, furiously wiping at her eyes, leaving smears of muck across her cheeks and hands. Though she did not say anything, her tight, narrow-eyed expression spoke all that was needed. He grinned half-heartedly, though his expression softened in sympathy at the tears that still came.

"…c'mon now, pal! don't try to deny it. and… get this… what if… he's not dead?"

He splayed his arms out and winked with his right eye, keeping his glowing left one trained ever-still on her. It was a long-shot and he knew it. A gamble. He didn't believe it, and the fury which renewed on Chara's face at his word told him that _she_ didn't believe it either.

"*Disgusting, even for you. If you even _think_ that-"

"it ain't a joke kid, i dunno why you'd even think i'd joke about something like this."

Again, Sans had to resist the urge to retaliate less _kindly_ as Chara's enraged expression became one of loathing, her gaze cast to the side. She said nothing however, allowing him to continue.

"think. if you _are_ both connected so well, then you must have felt _something_ if he died, right? who knows, you might have disappeared altogether if he's sharing his soul with you."

"*I feel nothing but anger. As he fell, it all… drained away. As if…"

Her words trailing off, the skeleton could feel a familiar prickling sensation at the base of his neck as he realised just what she meant. If she was sharing his soul, and he had fallen out of reach, given that he was the host…

…She was empty. No wonder that even now, she looked ready to kill. And yet…

"…but you do feel more, don't you? you feel sad. sure, i bet it's mixed in with a little bit of anger too, but it's plain to see. the grief on your face."

"*…"

"look, i know it's hard, but why would you feel angry if you felt nothing for frisk, even now? you're sad that he's gone, right? but… _what if he isn't?_ chasing after the perp ain't gonna bring him back if he _is_ gone, so instead… you can go and try get him _back_. if worse comes to worse, then at least his most precious possession will be with his most precious person, right?"

This time, Sans dissipated his grip on Chara entirely, inordinately relieved to see something new split upon her face. His words _were_ entirely optimistic; he could not get down to the dump below easily and find Frisk to alleviate their fears, else he would have done so already. Instead, he was trying to convince them both, and given the spark of uncertain hope flash in the girl's eyes, the skeleton found himself believing what he said.

Hope was all they had now.

He very nearly took a step back as the spark turned to vigour- the girl shakily rose to her feet, wordlessly acknowledging Sans' trust in her self-control. Wiping the clinging blood and tears from her chin and cheeks, she regarded the skeleton with a tight-lipped smile, her gaze piercing through him.

"*How do I get down there." It wasn't a request. Sans could only smile, genuinely at this.

"well, you could always jump…"

A step forward. Evidently, the jokes weren't going to cut it right now. Despite the implied threat and everything else, Sans took the opportunity to close his eyes and slouch comically.

"*Not. Funny."

"it'd be faster at least. and you're already dead, you thought about that? otherwise… did you see where me and paps came in from?"

"*Yes. You may as well have lit yourself on fire, whatever magic it is you are using."

"right. well go down that tunnel, and the first turn to your right, go down it. if you follow the same path all the way down to the end, you should find yourself in or around the garbage dump, which is where frisk should have fallen down to. provided i'm right and he hasn't gone far… it shouldn't take you long to find him, if you're quick."

Wordlessly, Chara trudged past him, her eyes set upon the tunnel that Sans had described. The short skeleton, unsurprised and unperturbed at her behaviour remained where he stood, facing away from the girl. After a moment, he looked up and spoke again, acutely aware as she halted her footsteps.

"listen chara. could you promise me something? if… when you get down there, it's not what we hope for, then could you _wait_ before you do anything? me and paps will get there eventually, and we'll help you out. i know it's a lot to ask, but i reckon frisk would want that, don't you think?"

The prickling feeling returned briefly, and he could hear her sharp intake of breath with his last words. Despite this however, it seemed in this case his gamble paid off, and for a moment, there was utter silence.

"*I will… try. Thank you, Sans."

"you're welcome kid. now get moving, you don't want this lazybones to get the drop on ya!"

Nothing more was said as he heard Chara's light footfalls pick up in pace, only to fade away quickly into the deep hum of the cavern around.

In truth, he had little faith that the girl would keep to that word, especially with how Frisk had affected her, the hole he left. Despite her love for the monsters and her hate for humans, it was starkly apparent just how the boy had superseded all that for her.

Grinning, he could hazard an easy guess as to the primary cause of this, though one only had to look at himself and Papyrus to see that Frisk was above and beyond the old boundaries.

Speaking of which.

"how long have you been standing there, pap?"

* * *

-O-

The girl did not know which was worse.

Hollowness, the screaming, yawning gap that had shoved its way into her chest, or the unrelenting desire for vengeance.

Kill or be killed.

She remembered all too well- it was why she wanted to preserve the monsters, why she wanted to deliver them to the highest level, and leave those undeserving to rot, as they should.

Such a black and white picture was now skewed.

He was no demon. Nor was he simply a strange anomaly worthy only of mild interest. Frisk was, above all else, something _special_. 'Friend', she was not quite naïve enough to relegate him to.

Asriel had been a best friend, her brother. What she felt for him was nothing in contrast to what stirred when she looked at the brown-haired boy. So... what did that make Frisk?

...Rational thought dictated that now, she would never find out. So, to protect herself, she had initially focused so fiercely on the only thing she could, with nothing else mattering. Restricting.

Undyne.

Her thoughts had been confused, jumbled and rushing. How could a monster _do_ this? Reasoning might have pointed out that it was only fair- the last human for the barrier. Until _now,_ humanity had done _nothing_ to warrant any other response.

But with the loss came hate. Chara was good at that, and if it were not for Sans, even the girl did not know what might have come about. Incorporeality, she determined was not enough to stop her.

It didn't matter now.

All she had was the directions of a skeleton whom she was doubting more than ever, and the vague faith that _maybe_ she would get to see her partner's smile again.

And so she walked, as fast as she could. Chara could not muster the energy to consider any other option, nor to bear a smile. None would see it, nor would it have any substance. She was finally _glad_ to be hidden from sight- at least then she would not be disturbed, or be at risk of lashing out.

Not that there was anything to trigger such an action. Following the path, she met not a soul. Only the sound of her own ragged breath, and the shifting lights up above; the further she went, the more _bruised_ they got. To her relief, it was also accompanied with a steeper gradient downward- if it had been _any_ other situation warranting her to walk the _other_ way, she might have thought twice!

She had never traversed from the dump to the chasm in the past, when she was alive. There had been no reason to; there were other, _gentler_ paths. Not for the first, or the last time, Chara _wished_ she had just taken Frisk through one of those other routes.

Strenuously forcing herself to remember how _he_ would be taking this, she barely managed to wrest the inflammatory thoughts of Sid from her mind once again. Thinking it through, she doubted the poor lizard-boy would have the capacity to betray her partner like this of _his own_ volition, though it certainly made him no less guilty.

Instead, wracked with a familiar sense of self-loathing as she approached a fork in the tunnel, Chara realised with the whimsical moments earlier, that the fault lay entirely with **her**.

' _*No. Frisk would not do this. He would believe Sans, and he would come and get me, without a doubt.'_ She imagined his smiling face. His hand in hers. There was no familiar rush through her heart when she thought of these… But she felt a true smile work its way onto her face nonetheless.

She nearly laughed at the irrationality of it, but then her partner embodied this, and she could not help but fall in with him. Renewing her step as she aimlessly followed the left path, Chara found that trying to think like Frisk, even if his outlook didn't make sense for this situation… made things better.

Fists, which she never knew were clenched, unfurled, painfully. Her jaw, compressed so hard as she gritted her teeth, loosened, the relieving feeling of respite flooding through her face. She breathed deep, filling lungs desperate for air.

"*I will find him."

Her raised voice carried down through the tunnel, echoing back her voice as if in agreement. The juxtaposition of what she truly felt, and what she was trying to imagine Frisk would think nearly led her to follow through with hysterical, maniacal laughter. As it was, Chara scarcely allowed the most porcine _snort_ she had _ever_ heard, and she cringed at hearing _that_ also echoing back to her.

…

There was something else.

At first, the girl had dismissed it as a trick of the mind- she was in self-turmoil, gripping with the memory of Frisk and her own cynicism, her anger and despair. But as the light dimmed further, turning her clothes dark and her skin an unearthly shade of indigo, Chara could _not_ ignore the sound of singing.

"*All alone. Soulless. I've lost my brother, and Frisk. I'm finally going insane. _Perfect_." The girl muttered bitterly, stolidly keeping her gaze to the ground as she moved.

She kept walking. _It_ kept getting louder. A female voice, and a ghostly, strangely brassy hooting underlain _beneath_ it. Finding herself gritting her teeth once again, the girl raised her head, peering from side to side to try and determine where it was coming from.

Except it was not so simple in the dark. Despite her partner not being there to help her, she felt oddly undeterred; she no longer cared. That fact might have bothered her, but the _noise_ took precedence!

It was as if it was carried straight to her ear, travelling from nowhere. Chara could _not_ locate it, with the dimness of her surroundings; the girl was now worried that dithering too much might lead her to getting turned around, or going completely the wrong way!

Whilst the crystals up above were easy to see, the wall had smoothed with the downward gradient, becoming almost featureless, so navigating that way was no use. Giving up, Chara simply snarled and continued walking. "*It would not be so bad if I wasn't so sure I was going mad!"

Going over what she had just said in her mind only made her groan in further irritation, the image of a lazy skeleton laughing at her pervading her previous thoughts.

Sans was another subject she dared not linger on, for reasons other than his nature. Despite his directions and the hope in his words, Chara did _not_ forgive him.

For this, she was thankful for the disembodied music, which now took a form she could discern. It sounded broken, incomplete, but the half-words and tones she was hearing…

"*Dad's… music box…?"

For the first time since Sans snapped her out of her craze, Chara was feeling something _more_ than just melancholy.

Instinctively, she quickened her pace. It wasn't _quite_ hope, and yet…!

The tunnel began to level, and the music became clearer. A corner turned, and clarity became stark realisation.

"Oh… H-hi… I didn't think I'd see you… again…"

* * *

-U-

All thoughts of victory, of relief and disparagement over her _reaction_ at the chasm were flushed out of her mind.

" _What_. Is _this_?!"

The moment she had seen the flash of Sans' power, the pall of fear seemed to drain away from her. Whilst she had initially assumed that _he_ had been the one responsible for her pause, it was only when he showed himself that she was able to move.

For a short while, she thought that maybe the good-for-nothing had finally come around to his senses; she could sense his brother close on her tail, though the ominous lack of sound coming from her normally exuberant friend concerned her.

Not enough to slow her down however, until now.

The tunnel before her, which she had used more times than memory could recount, was no more. Rubble blocked the way, and whilst Undyne was no stranger to heavy-lifting, the sharp, broken boulders were thick and nigh-innumerable.

Looking up above the thick haze of dust that permeated through the area, the captain frowned as she caught sight of something she had not been expecting, much less here of all places!

Golden flowers.

The blossoms favoured by the king were wound in thick, green vines, weaving in and out of the deep cracks and pits now pockmarking the ceiling, leaving no patch uncovered. Undyne did not recall seeing them growing so thickly like this before, or even anywhere but the even ground.

Nor could she shake the uneasy, nauseous feeling that as she looked up at them… they were looking down back at her.

" **Hee hee hee…** "

"Who's there?! Show yourself!"

Swivelling, her guard up and spear at the ready, Undyne attempted to source the childlike giggle, only to find nothing but her own dizziness. Growling, she reached up and tore off her vicious helmet, allowing a much greater range of perception to her cycloptic eye.

Still she saw nothing, even as the dust from the disaster before her slowly cleared. _'If this haze is from the rubble, then it must have fallen_ just _before I arrived!'_

Her quick summation prompted her to call out again, only slightly _less_ forcefully this time. Perhaps a friendlier tone might make the culprit show themselves? Whoever they were… they had just laughed, hadn't they? They had to be close!

"Look, whoever it is, I ain't gonna _hurt_ ya! If you haven't done anything wrong… besides leaving me a _lot_ of clearing up to do, then you might as well own-up! You'll be in less trouble down the line!" Her voice, unfettered by her armour, rang loudly throughout the tunnel, raspy and booming.

"heya."

Pirouetting with the expertise of a ballet dancer _despite_ the hulk of armour on her body, Undyne coiled her arms backward and followed through with a hard thrust, her blue energy spear moving too fast for the untrained eye to perceive.

Though the matter of whether she should feel guilty was debatable in the mind of the fish-woman, Sans the skeleton merely sidestepped her jab at a speed that even _she_ could not see. Not that it bothered her in that moment- she had her bravado to maintain!

Pretending as if she hadn't just tried to eviscerate him, and that her actions were at odds with her shouted promises, Undyne stood up straight and sneered down at the lazy skeleton. Sans simply looked up at her with his right eye closed in a prolonged wink, hands in pockets.

She got to the point, leering threateningly with her spear. "Sans. Was this _you?_ "

"gee, i dunno. i don't think my arms are _that_ long… who you're prolly looking for is someone guilty of… _high treason_."

"You _know_ what I mean you little waster! Did you block the tunnel?!"

"heh. you got the wrong perp lady. i've only just caught up to ya… unless you think i can be in two places at once?"

Something about the way he was cheekily grinning at her, his one open eye twitching in silent laughter, struck a serious nerve with the captain. She was not known for her patience after all.

"NNNN _GAAAAH!_ I _know_ you had something to do with this! Why would you help me catch the brat back there, but then do something like _this_? You and your brother are being so… inconsistent! Where is your brother, anyway?!"

As she spat and snarled, the skeleton seemed to shrink back, his eye going dark. He did not respond beyond closing both his eyes and standing as straight as his stature could allow, huffing out a protracted breath.

"…Pah. What good are you? If I find out that _you_ actually did do this Sans…" She let her threat and its implication hang. Undyne doubted it would have any bearing to the rogue, but she still had her point to make!

Pushing past him deliberately, nearly knocking the now non-dodging sentry over, Undyne reached down for her helmet and swiftly affixed it back into place with a 'clang!'. Sparing no further moment, she looked over her shoulder to see Sans, frozen in place, before sighing gutturally, preparing to sprint for her other route.

"undyne."

Standing straight once again, the captain swivelled to properly face the skeleton. To her surprise, he had moved, to mere _inches_ behind her back, soundlessly, and in the second she had turned away from him.

"When we are on duty _sentry_ , you will address me as _captain_ Undyne."

Seeming to ignore both her fuddled attempt at propriety _and_ her aggressive leering, Sans shrugged and slowly turned up to face her, his eyes closed as if asleep.

Just another factor to curl her lip at. All he did was face her, saying nothing. Resisting the now _powerful_ urge to swat him, Undyne took a step back in preparation to leap away.

"can i ask you something _real_ quick?"

Once again she halted with his abrupt actions. This time however, she did not act surprised, merely waiting for him to spit it out.

"Be out with it."

"well ya see… papyrus hasn't really got any friends, b'sides you. neither have i, but that's not important. now… you know my brother. he gets a little over the top, he hoots to the world that he's the greatest, and everyone should be proud of him… do _you_ know why?"

Undyne did not respond, beyond becoming completely still. Where was he going with this?

"…because of you. he got it all from you. he grew up with me, looks up to me, but all that? the pride, the ambition? he got it from _you_. his best friend. he looks up to you, you know? man… no, he _worships_ you, undyne. i mean, you probably got all that after he begged you for _days_ to train him."

A stirring in her chest. She knew this, and she treasured it. Was more than flattered by it- she knew her friend looked at her with the same eyes she gave the king when he took her in. Raised her. But there was _more_ going on here, which made it only more painful to know that she couldn't keep _doing_ this to him.

She wouldn't let this one know however. "Get to the point Sans."

Ignoring her once again, the short skeleton stepped toward her, hands sagging in his pockets.

"so, knowing all that, and the joy he brings to you too, you'd think a good friend like you would value that fact, right? would wanna keep him happy, no matter what? 'cept… the other day, wouldn't ya believe it… my brother, desperate as he is, made _another_ friend. crazy, huh?"

 _This_ hit her hard. Another thing she cherished about Papyrus was his honesty and unchanging _routine_. Something like this?

She wanted the best for him, for the skeleton to change for the better. But she had a sinking, terrifying feeling of what Sans was getting at already. What he said when they met her near the Snowdin exit. Why both the brothers kept getting in her way even now.

"…and, get this, paps wants to help his new friend get to the king, without a scratch on him. he figured it was only right, in exchange for the good times they had, and the smooth friendship this new guy gave him."

Sans opened his eyes. They were hollow.

" **And then you killed him**."

Despite the cold, crawling feeling permeating through her skin, Undyne exploded into a righteous tirade, waving her armoured fist before Sans' chalky face.

"So _what?_ Didn't Papyrus _want_ to become a royal guard?! Didn't he want everyone to be _proud_ of him?! This is our _one_ chance for freedom and he _knows_ it! And yet! He still went and blew it all, thinking he became _friends_ with that little brat!"

The captain, fuelling her own fire, continued to shout at the skeleton, who seemed to be watching her pensively, unmoving. If anything, Undyne could have _sworn_ he was actually grinning again!

"A creature like that doesn't _really_ want to be friends, it'd could've hurt Papyrus, or _worse_! Good thing I came along and _remembered_ what needed to be done- that's what a _true_ friend looks like Sans! …And! If you're supposed to be a good brother, you'd be looking out for him, but what do you do instead?! You go and get yourself cosied up too!"

Expecting the short skeleton to shrink back at this accusation, Undyne was incensed further to find his grin only widen further, his eyes now back to normal.

"hey, undyne."

"And that's not all! Did you know this 'Frisk' was dragging this poor little kid around like _garbage_?! He could have killed him at any time! He could have done it to your brother, too! Well, _I_ didn't _let him_. I've killed him, and now I can take that soul and bring it to Asgore! Then you'll remember what you were supposed to be doing- _destroying_ that little brat so we can get what we deserve!"

Before she could declaim to her unimpressed audience any further, she heard a clatter behind her. Scowling and breathing hard, she turned away from Sans, who had cocked his head sideways, and to the previously absent Papyrus.

"…Sentry." Undyne didn't even know what she expected- how much had he heard? All she knew was despite the sinking feeling, that _she_ was in the right. Was it fanciful to hope that maybe he would come back to his senses?

"CAPTAIN, I DON'T THINK FRISK DESERVES DESTROYING, NOR DO I THINK WE _DESERVE_ TO GO FREE. I _KNOW_ HIM, AND THAT HE'S OUR FRIEND. EVEN WHEN I… HURT HIM TERRIBLY, HE BORE ME NO ILL WILL. HE... JUST WANTED TO HELP. NOW… HE'S BEEN… _HURT_ … BY YOU TOO, AND _I'M_ GOING TO HELP HIM. BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT GREAT FRIENDS DO."

No. "You don't know what you're saying Papyrus." Her warning was lost on the uncharacteristically stoic skeleton.

"IF IT'S NOT BENEATH MY 'BEST FRIEND' TO DO SO, IT'D BE _GREAT_ TOO IF SHE'D GIVE HIM A CHANCE. I PROMISE YOU, WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT THEM IS _NOT TRUE_! THEY'VE _CHANGED_ … OR AT LEAST, FRISK IS NOT ONE OF ' _THEM_ '! HE'S MY FRIEND, AND IF YOU'RE REALLY NOT GOING TO LISTEN TO ME…"

She was glad they could not see her face beneath her helmet. Open-mouthed, in shock, she was _not_ expecting Papyrus to stand up to her over this! Aside from the surprise was the smouldering anger- had the _brat_ really done this much damage?

The tall skeleton was face down, his gloved fists shaking. His mouth was open as if to say _those_ final words, and yet…

His brother did it for him, pulling no punches.

"well i guess you're not much of a friend then, are ya? to think, what i asked of you those years ago, that a swell girl like you would go and _throw_ it away like it meant nothing…"

She couldn't take it anymore. Undyne stormed past Papyrus at full-force, not wanting to hear a word more of it.

She'd _make_ them see. They would realise that actually, she had them first and foremost in her mind all along. If only things could be simple!

And her eye would stop stinging.

* * *

-S-

"…DO YOU THINK IT WORKED."

It wasn't a question, and Sans knew his brother already had the answer. He knew just how hard he was taking it, trying to understand the ramifications, that really, _truly_ hitting the nail on the head here would break him. Still, he responded anyway, sighing and looking up to the ruined ceiling.

"hard to tell bro, nothin's happened yet. you nailed it pretty hard though, let me tell ya!" In spite of his lightening, jovial tone, he could tell it hardly improved Papyrus' mood, though the tall skeleton attempted to return to his usual façade with full gusto.

"WELL OF COURSE I DID! BESIDES, AFTER 'GREAT', YOU GET THE PERSUASIVE-PAPYRUS! AND PASTA-PAPYRUS! AND POPULAR-PAPYRUS! AND PRESTIGIOUS-!"

Cringing before nipping _that_ in the bud, Sans interjected. "so… what you gonna do next?"

Closing his mouth slowly, Papyrus frowned and rubbed his chin, tapping his foot lightly. Shifting his eyes from side to side for a moment, he suddenly exclaimed and pointed accusingly at a seemingly insignificant indent in the wall.

"I…! DON'T KNOW?! I MEAN… I DON'T BELIEVE IT'S TRUE! _CAN'T_ BELIEVE IT! AFTER ALL, SOMEONE AS AMAZING AS FRISK CAN'T BE UNDONE BY SOMETHING LIKE… FALLING A LONG WAY?! SO! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WOULD SAY…! LET'S GO TO WHERE HE FELL, AND REUNITE WITH HIM LIKE OLD TIMES! …B-BEFORE UNDYNE GETS TO HIM!"

He was stop-start and uncertain, that much was clear. But Sans could not help but admire that despite it all, Papyrus could stand up to his old friend for a new one, even when their fate was looking bleaker every moment they dwelled thought on it.

Sans would have given up the moment he'd known Frisk had fallen, if it weren't for his promise to Chara, what he owed to his brother and the voice beyond the Ruins door. But, most of all…

His friendship with the boy. Paranoia and lethargy _screamed_ at him not to bother, but he could not keep lying in the face of something like this.

And so he smiled, and chuckled, laughing like it was no big deal, despite all indication to the contrary. His cynical expectation at what they would find could not get in the way of both of their hopes and dreams.

"sounds like a masterplan bro. you go on ahead, i'll catch up with ya."

A flash of blue light, a screaming, rending, _burning_ roar.

Papyrus marched proudly past him, ready to continue moving through the molten-hot incision in the previously impassable tunnel before them, before stopping and turning toward his brother once again, his gusto melting away.

"…WAIT A SECOND. ARE YOU GOING TO TELL ME WHO THIS 'CHARA' WAS, YET? YOU HAD A PRETTY LENGTHY CONVERSATION WITH THEM, AND THEY-"

"maybe when you're older."

" _SANS!_ IF I'M OLD ENOUGH TO PUZZLE, THEN I'M OLD ENOUGH TO SPEAK TO YOUR IMAGINARY FRIENDS!"

"don't back talk to me boy, go to your room."

"NOT _NOW_ DAD! COME _ON!_ "

"heh-heh… c'mon bro. i said i'll tell ya later, for now… frisk kinda needs us, doesn't he?"

"ACK! HOW COULD I FORGET?! WELL… YOU BETTER GET YOUR JOGGING BONES ON SANS, BECAUSE _I'M_ GOING TO GET THERE FIRST! NYEH-HEH-HEH!"

Watching as his brother _launched_ himself through the still-glowing red hole in the rubble, Sans let out a breath he'd unwittingly begun holding. How could he even begin to explain _that_ one? Deflection could only go so far, no matter how good he was at it.

Chuckling to himself again, Sans returned to gazing at the ceiling, pushing the issue to the side as he often did.

Instead, he thought once more on the more pressing matter, despite how hard it was becoming to do that. He hadn't had much success with Undyne himself, as he'd expected, but his brother could get through to even the steeliest of hearts- the short skeleton was no exception.

Whether it would have any actual effect, or if it would even mean anything depended on what they found at the bottom of that chasm. Sighing, Sans lethargically prepared to follow after his brother.

Tearing his eyes away from the pockmarked, bare ceiling, the skeleton took a step, and arrived by his brother's side much further down the tunnel. Papyrus did not look in the least bit surprised.

* * *

-O-

"*…Napstablook."

"Oh… you remembered my name… That's pretty nice, I guess… I remember you too. You and your friend. You were… nice."

The girl had in fact nearly forgotten about the strangely timid ghost, with everything that came after their meeting. Grinding her teeth slowly, she recalled how he had surprised both the children, being able to perceive Chara when not even Toriel could.

Since then, they had found Sans, but whilst he had proved himself to be a friend _despite_ recent developments, Napstablook on the other hand…

She didn't have time for this.

Wordlessly, she turned away from the hovering, glowing figure, and began trying to navigate anew through the darkening tunnel. Despite his otherworldly white-luminescence, Napstablook did _not_ light the walls, instead only serving to flash-blind her the longer she looked at him; he wouldn't be any help in the slightest.

At first appearance, there seemed to be crystalline, smooth columns surrounding the pair, scattered through the short section of the tunnel, and toned a dim-purple by the light provided from the scant crystals up above. On closer inspection however, the smoothness was owed by the fact that their surface was not actually _solid_.

They were in fact tiny, thin-purple waterfalls, sounding more akin to faint, ringing cymbals than trickling water. Chara had never seen anything like _this_ before, and she thought she had seen _quite_ the range during her time in the Underground!

She reasoned that things had, and were _still_ changing. With or without her. And now, they might very well change without…

No. Now scowling, Chara shook herself when the _reminder_ of their situation loomed over her, seemingly frightening her present company, though she did not really care to notice in that moment.

Taking care not to touch the columns or to bump into her unwitting companion, the girl made to trudge forward without any further word.

"Oh… you're leaving… I didn't even get to ask your name… you never told me it back in the Ruins."

Sighing, she relented this one point, standing with her back to the spectre. Despite how she felt and her actions thus far, she could not just brazenly ignore a simple request like this. "*I am Chara."

For a moment, Napstablook did not respond- if she were to have turned around at this point, Chara would have seen his nigh-featureless eyes widen, if only slightly. Just as she was about to continue moving once again, the ghost spoke.

"That's… the name of our dead princess… I know you're a human, but also a ghost… so that makes you…"

 _This_ made Chara stop and turn, regarding the ghost with an expression of both surprise and suspicion.

Just like that, the miasma of groggy despair lifted from her, and was replaced with swiftly-moving purpose; though the pain of the loss still clawed, weighing heavy on her head, _now_ she had something to distract herself with.

And… her mind racing, Napstablook _might_ just know a quicker way down.

For now, however, she had to think like her partner. Somehow, she had to correct the look of shame on the ghost's face, and use him to get to Frisk! With effort, she schooled her visage from misery and distrust to one that _she_ thought was friendly.

This only made the phantom withdraw further away from her, his form beginning to fade. "O-oh… I didn't mean… I-uh… I'll go…"

A spark of panic. "*N-no! Wait! Napstablook, you… I need your help!" She spluttered, her red eyes wide. When she was with Frisk and her adoptive family, she had noticed the terseness she treated others unwind- it had begun to do so with Sans too, but in this moment, on demand?

She thought she sounded monotonous, fake. Which is why she was so glad when Napstablook listened to her and halted, turning to look her in the eye, his expression wavering.

Despite herself, Chara began to babble, trying her hardest to talk like her partner. "*So, uh… I am sorry for frightening you like that. Since I… 'woke up', nobody aside from Frisk, you, and… a certain skeleton could see me, much less _recognise_ me. Frisk had to learn about me, and the skeleton _somehow_ already knew without asking. You're the only other person to perceive it all. I'm… assuming you've read around on your history, huh?"

To her relief, the ghost did not seem too taken aback by her sudden talkativeness. Instead, his mostly-blank face seemed to _sharpen_ , the small mouth he sported becoming a gentle smile.

"Gee… I guess that makes me special… For once. I don't know why there's only a couple of people who can see you, but… I didn't really do much at school… I know who you are because I remember you speaking to everyone back at New Home, a… while back."

Once again, Chara was shocked by Napstablook. His little revelation in the Ruins, his recognition of her moments ago and now _this_. "*But… if you saw… _heard_ me at New Home, I mean, unless it was some kind of _impostor_ , that makes you…!"

"I'm kinda old… I know, I really should be doing more for myself... like Met-… l-like my cousin…" Gradually, Napstablook returned to his melancholy demeanour, his smile downturned. The girl was too stunned however to notice this- did ghosts 'remain' forever? Did this mean that _she_ would?

It was huge. Massive. If she had to live an eternity, watch Frisk die… And what if he was already dead?

Again, she worked to quash such thoughts, though this time she managed to force a harsh smile for her audience. What could she even say _now_? Her mind was only becoming messier and messier, her loss, this new information, her situation.

Chara wanted to scream, but, alas, her only hope now proved himself to be quite sensitive, and she couldn't just strike him like she would _try_ to do to Sans in frustration. So, instead she tried furiously to think of what to say to get them back on track.

Oh how she hoped there was some chocolate at the end of this!

"Wh-who are y-you talking to, Blooky?"

The _new_ voice very nearly _did_ make her scream. Instead, she _just_ managed to muffle it into a strangled gasp, turning desperately to try and source the interloper through the dim light.

Said-encroacher thankfully did _not_ retreat in fright when Chara wheeled around crazily, though with a rapid sinking-disappointment, the girl realised it was because this monster was neither a ghost, nor one who could see her.

The new person was small, twice the size of the girl's head, and had a dulcet, woman's voice which broke through the initial faltering. Chara recognised her shape as that of a rounded, sleek fish the size of a cat, with glittering green scales and a strangely styled mop of blue hair above her face, the smooth fringe and bangs nearly covering her eyes. Her teeth were visible- needle-like and vicious, though the accompanying gentle face and tired white eyes softened any intimidation factor.

Chara would have relished the look of wonderment that she imagined would cross Frisk's face at seeing a floating, talking _fish_ , but as things were, she only collected herself and scowled, waiting for 'Blooky' to respond.

Said ghost was just as surprised as she had been. "O-oh, Shyren… I was just talking to C-Chara here…"

Confirming the girl's suspicions, Shyren shifted from side-to-side slowly, looking at Napstablook with a small frown of confusion.

"B-but… there's nobody here, Bl-N-Napstablook…?"

The ghost turned to Chara momentarily, his mouth forming a small 'O', before answering his friend. "S-she… says she can't be seen by many, I think only by other ghosts… and uhh… humans."

"' _She_ '? H-humans?!"

"It uh… Yeah, she's nice though… she just came here now… say hi…"

' _*If they are just going to do_ this _… I may as well continue alone. Frisk needs me!'_ Trying not to let her impatience or annoyance crack through in her voice, Chara disrupted the little reunion before the two introverted monsters could entertain any _ideas_.

"*Napstablook, Shyren, whichever. Could I ask if either of you know the way down to the bottom of the pit way back there? The garbage dump? I'm trying to make my way there _as fast as possible_ , so I would be really _grateful_ for any help you could give!" Cringing inwardly at how _sweetly_ she laid it, the girl was nonetheless pleased as the ghost seemed to remember that she wasn't some curiosity, digesting her request.

"Well… I do, I guess… My house is near the dump. I guess it's in my element…"

"*So you know the quickest way down?!"

"Yeah, but…"

Napstablook hesitated, looking between the girl and his floating friend, who despite her expression of utter bewilderment was waiting patiently for the half-conversation she perceived to come back to her.

Which it did, after several anxious moments in which Chara was very nearly ready to _throttle_ the ghost! "S-Shyren, do you know of… any other paths down to my house in this tunnel…?"

Squeaking at his question, the fish-girl fumbled over her words, mumbling to herself. Whether it was in thought or in anxiety, the other girl could not determine. Looking up, Shyren responded without making eye-contact with her friend.

"N-no… I don't think so? W-we… I always just fly over there Blooky… If your… _New_ friend is a g-ghost, why can't s-she fly down there t-too?"

Chara noticed a hint of a new emotion arise in the floating girl- a narrowing of her eyes, a slight pout, her voice reaching a higher tone. She rose an eyebrow at this.

Was _she_ ever like that? _'*Ridiculous.'_

Her idle observations were cut through by the ghost, who reminded her of the situation with a strange offer.

"Then there's… no _path_ down there I guess, but… If you can fly like we can, I… guess I can take you to my house pretty quick. U-unless… you don't want to… which is okay I guess…"

"Y-you're inviting her to your _house_?! A-already?!"

"Well… she does want to get down to the dump… fast, I think… Right?"

Chara nodded quickly, not quite interpreting everything he was saying as quickly as she _should_ through her haze. "*Yes. As fast as possible, if you can show me the way, or even take me there it would be great!" Slowly, the ghost nodded and smiled, beginning to move backward up the tunnel where the girl had walked in from.

Without a moment's hesitation, she followed after him, wondering just how she missed the tunnel that must lead down to the dump along her travels!

Very soon however, Napstablook stopped moving, peering at something over Chara's shoulder with a puzzled expression. Following his gaze with a similar face, only with added consternation, the girl laid her eyes on a now indignant Shyren.

"B-Blooky! Y-you promised me you would… help me with my singing…! And now you're l-leaving with some… _invisible_ girl!"

' _*Ah.'_ Now Chara understood. Whipping her eyes back to the ghost, his simple expression was now torn. All the girl's irritation drained out of her, though the anxiety to get to her goal remained in full-force.

"But… I… Uh…" Napstablook stammered, looking from side to side at the ground, remaining where he hovered.

Looking between the two, Chara realised what she had to do. _'*Think like Frisk. If I just do things my way, then I'll never get to him in time! What would he say or do to get these people on-side?"_ Her thoughts raced, turbulent with the mounting pressure.

Would this be a waste of time? Would it even work?

Would she have made it further if she just didn't care about them?

There was only one way to find out.

"*Napstablook, Blooky, if you can get me down there, then I can get to my partner, Frisk- you remember him, right? If I can get there _as swiftly as possible_ , we'll _both_ help you two with… whatever it is you need help with! Deal?!"

The girl gnashed at her sore lip, her eyes wide and glaring at the ghost, leaning forward as she desperately awaited his decision.

* * *

-N-

To his eyes, she was both amazing and _terrifying_.

In fairness, Napstablook found many things he encountered in the Underground as such, and he went out of his way each day to avoid them. Whether this meant simply shutting himself away in his house, or journeying all the way to the Ruins in order to evade those left who knew him, it was all the same.

If he was to live in solitude, he may as well make it total, no? It would certainly make things easier if he was to make it.

His family. Especially his cousin; each one that left, whether it was to falling down or finding their own physicality, they tore more of him away.

Mettaton had been the last straw for the poor ghost- whilst his cousin still called every now and then, Napstablook could not help but think that he was being punished for some _crime_ he must have committed. Something that warranted his isolation.

If only he could remember things from _before he.._.

And now he was slowly but surely pushing his best friend away. Shyren had troubles of her own; her difficulty being she wanted what his cousin had- to get out there, face the world and regale it with her voice. She had no confidence however, and now she relied on _him_ , who did not want to lose her company. He was certain she had noticed the lackadaisical manner in which he taught her, and was even becoming annoyed… but what was he supposed to do?

He would help her, make the music for her songs, teach her to hold her voice, and then she would leave, just like the others.

If he didn't fall down after that, the ghost had already entertained doing something _desperate_. At least nobody would be hurt about it, right?

The very thought of it chewed away at him, every night. His long stays in the Ruins were both for the isolation and to facilitate delaying her leave- he could even handle the frightening presence of Toriel if it meant he could keep his last friend with him, even if by doing that he was pushing her away.

If ghosts could cry…

And then _they_ arrived.

Napstablook knew what they were without even looking at them. Initially, he hadn't noticed that the girl was incorporeal like him, so withdrawn he was.

It was only when they both worked together, to cheer him up of all things, that he noticed. The boy, Frisk, he had a vividness about him, an energy coursing through his body. Earnest, kindness shining in his eyes like the sun he had only ever dreamed about!

Such a juxtaposition against the girl stood over his shoulder.

Chara was _dark_. The energy Frisk had was absent in her. Her eyes empty, hollow. The phantom had seen then, that all she had she brought forth for Frisk, so she could _look_ normal, be his friend.

And here she was again, this time with foul black blood encrusted on her chin, her arm. A stark contrast against the ghostly pallor of her flesh and dirty clothes, glowing red eyes piercing the dark. Despite _this_ , and whatever had happened to her, Napstablook wasn't truly perturbed by this in the slightest.

It was the _energy_ in her eyes that wasn't there before that did.

She had no soul of her own. This was confusing enough to the ghost- Chara was empty. An anomaly.

And yet _now…_ She _glowed_ as if Frisk's soul was in there. Her eyes, hollow before were _shining_ with so much fear, so much _anger_ …

So much love.

Love for Frisk- even though the boy was the only one she truly had left… Everything she was, everything she said?

It made Napstablook _so ashamed_.

 _This_ was what frightened him. She was just like him, a ghost. Barely gripping onto the world, and yet she was doing everything she could. She _felt_ now, she was changed because she was with Frisk.

When they met just minutes before, the girl was driven, and he did not want to get in her way. But _now?_

Chara begged for his help. Napstablook could even see how it _demeaned_ her to stray from whatever path she had set, but he could not help but oblige. Despite his fear and the tumultuous, fighting feelings in his soul.

And then Shyren came back, and he finally realised.

It was as if all his doubts were draining away from him. It felt _good_. The _energy_! The _will_!

The cherry on top of this cake? Chara _promised_ that she and Frisk would help them _both_ with the lessons he was so afraid to go through with! He could make it up to Shy, and maybe, just maybe…!

…Why had he even been afraid again?

It didn't matter! He wanted to ask the girl why Frisk was not with her now, and why he was down at the dump, but no matter!

What might seem small to some, was huge to Napstablook. He hummed cheerily, smiling as he could sense an anxious Chara and a confused Shyren behind him, all moving to the cliff edge where he would take the human girl down below.

And when they made it to their destination, he even did a little spin! Things were looking up, how could he _not_?

Maybe… If he could make friends with _humans…_ then he could ask to visit his cousin again!

He chuckled, his racing mind and the ringing sound of his laughter chilling his senses- such a noise had not been heard in a long time.

"One thing at a time… I guess…"

* * *

-O-

"W-what was that, Blooky?"

Both Shyren and the ghost-child beside her peered at the ghost oddly. During the silent journey to the so-called 'drop-off' point, Chara had noticed Napstablook gradually becoming more _spirited_ \- if her eyes weren't deceiving her, the girl would swear he was even _glowing_ brighter!

"O-oh… uhh… I was just… talking to myself…"

And _there_ it was again, just like before; excruciating introversion. Chara had to bite her lip and smile _pleasantly_ \- he was helping her after all, or so she hoped. If she had to deal with this to get to Frisk sooner, then so be it.

The matter now however was that Napstablook moved no more, and was instead facing the girl expectantly. Shyren too, although she was looking around in her general direction- that perplexed tugging at her eyes, uncertain of whether the ghost was pranking her or not.

Briefly, Chara wondered if Napstablook even _had_ any sense of humour, before dismissing it as absurd.

Little did she realise, she must have mumbled it out loud.

"W-well, sometimes I can be _real_ funny… you know, if I want to be…"

"You d-don't tell that many jokes though, Blooky… though you did manage to prank mister Gerson that one t-time…!"

Well. "*Uhh… I stand corrected? Well, I guess I shouldn't judge people by their cover. So! …What now, Napstablook?" Chara wore her lopsided smile a _little_ awkwardly this time- she neither meant to voice _that_ , nor try and change the subject so shoddily!

So instead she leaned slightly forward, now enunciating the _real_ issue by waving her hands in a rolling manner- even if she looked like a clown, the girl could not let them keep _stalling_!

"Oh… Yeah… We uh… go down here. This is the quickest way to my house…" Seemingly unfazed by her wild waving, Napstablook indicated with his small stubby hands to a gap in the tunnel, to which both Shyren and Chara followed by moving closer to see down it.

 _Clearly_ , the ghost had to be mistaken. Said gap was more of a sheer _drop_ , leading into the dark with the bottom _way_ out of sight. No matter how she narrowed her eyes, or how she leaned precariously over to try and see further, the girl could not see any form of light down there.

She swivelled around, pouring forth full effort to stifle the irritation off her face as she regarded the phantom. Strangely enough, Shyren seemed unsurprised by the development- was _this_ the way they always went?!

"*Napstablook, you must be _completely_ out of your mind if you think that's a shortcut for _me_. Maybe for you, but _not_ _me!_ I asked for a way down there, not suicide!"

' _*Again…'_ Chara nearly _snarled_ , washing _that_ one out of her thoughts.

Amazingly, the ghost did not seem daunted by her snap at all, merely blinking. "But if you're a ghost… you should be able to fly it… I did say earlier…" He insisted.

"*If I could fly, I would have jumped down after Frisk and saved him, rather than watch… watch him fall…"

A hiccough. Pressure behind the eyes, building at the very pinnacle of her cheeks. She wouldn't let them fall again; Chara shook her head, wiping at any _upstarts_ before they could show.

Silence. Shyren quietly asked Napstablook what had happened, but he did not respond to her, only hovering in place, neither moving or saying a word for several moments.

Once again, the girl was tempted to just keep moving by herself. Only this time, she would _not_ be slowed by these two anymore! _All_ she wanted was to be proved wrong, to feel again, to not have these _freezing_ anxieties eating away at her mind. To hold him again!

"…I won't ask what you mean by that… but I guess I could… carry you? I dunno… if you'd like to, I think I can…"

Returning her furiously wandering eyes to Napstablook, she could see that still, despite her anger, he was smiling, awaiting her response.

Perhaps he _could_ try after all.

The girl nodded forcefully, brushing past the now completely confused Shyren, and grasping hold of her fellow ghost's arm.

To her utter relief, contact was made, and she held onto him as if he were completely corporeal. Wasting no further time, she turned around with his gesturing, and let Napstablook pick up and carry her by the abdomen.

It was somewhat uncomfortable, and it must have looked slightly awkward, but Napstablook's cool touch was secure, and he did not seem to struggle with her weight.

She could bear it if this got her down there swiftly. Chara only prayed that she wouldn't be driven _insane_ by his and Shyren's _droning,_ or to start regretting her little promise to them both!

The girl knew Frisk wouldn't be upset by the sudden responsibility, but that only mattered if…

"*Are we going, or are you going to stay here all day?"

This time, the ghost _did_ seem somewhat put-off by her jibe. "Oh… sorry. Shy, are you coming with? She says she and her friend are gonna help us if we… get down there soon…"

"O-okay… I hope you're not trying to get rid of me Blooky…"

Unbeknownst to the two girls, Napstablook's spirits sank further along with their descent into the dark.

Small steps, but he would try to make this right.

* * *

 **-X-**

 **A/N:** Sorry this took so long. Again. Curveballs left and right. I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and New Year celebration, or… in case you don't celebrate, I hope the time since the last update has treated you favourably!

Thanks to: ConGie (twice!), Nogoodnms, Bloxxerstudios1, MongrelDog, PhoenixCaptain, FlygonNick and Dowe the Puppet Master for their lovely reviews and comments! You all really help me shape this story correctly, and make it better for both you and me. Thank you so much!

Special thanks to Mary (for the "ideas"), PhoenixCaptain (for the early editing help, I was struggling with that!) and BloxxerStudios (for reminding me what I need to be doing, and the criticality!)!

So, next chapter. I thought I had managed to make this one quite a dark tangent compared to the precedent I had set. Let's just say the next one is going to be even worse. Hopefully you'll enjoy it…!

Last thing. A bit shameful, but for any Mother/Earthbound fans, I've recently uploaded a one-shot based on 'Mother: Cognitive Dissonance' called 'Severance'. I loved the game and writing that so much, that I've got a little sequel for it in the works, if you're interested! Other than that, see you next time!


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